China has set a target for domestically originated first-in-class (FIC) drugs to account for at least 25% of the global total by 2030, alongside annual growth of more than 20% in its innovative-drug industry and at least five Chinese-origin medicines reaching global annual sales above USD 1 billion, under a new five-year pharmaceutical industry plan issued by ten government ministries.
The 医药工业发展“十五五”规划 (15th Five-Year Plan for Pharmaceutical Industry Development), published on September 18, sets out China's pharmaceutical industrial policy for 2026–2030. Led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the issuing group also includes the National Development and Reform Commission, National Health Commission, National Healthcare Security Administration, National Medical Products Administration, Ministry of Commerce, and other central government bodies.
The targets are described as expected or indicative goals rather than legally binding requirements. By 2030, China aims for revenue at large-scale pharmaceutical industrial enterprises to exceed RMB 3.5 trillion, while listed pharmaceutical companies maintain average annual R&D intensity of at least 10%. The plan also calls for China to rank among the global leaders in both new-drug programs entering first-in-human trials and innovative-drug approvals, alongside the FIC and blockbuster-sales targets. More than 200 innovative medical devices are targeted for approval, while at least 50 pharmaceutical companies are expected to exceed RMB 10 billion in annual revenue and 20 pharmaceutical industry parks to reach RMB 100 billion scale.
The innovation targets build on a rapid expansion of China's drug-development sector during the preceding five-year period, when the country moved toward the front ranks globally in clinical-stage pipeline volume. The new plan places greater emphasis on original innovation and global commercialization rather than simply expanding the number of domestic development programs.
Among the technologies prioritized are drugs against new and traditionally difficult-to-drug targets, cell and gene therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, precision diagnostics, gene editing, advanced drug-delivery technologies, organoids, organ-on-chip systems, and AI-enabled drug discovery. The plan calls for wider use of artificial intelligence across molecular design, virtual screening, candidate assessment, clinical trial operations, manufacturing, quality control, and regulatory review.
For cell and gene therapy and other advanced modalities, the plan places particular emphasis on manufacturing scale-up. It calls for proof-of-concept and pilot-scale production platforms, shared mid-scale manufacturing infrastructure, and closer cooperation between drug developers and suppliers of critical equipment and raw materials. The aim is to reduce the gap between laboratory development and commercial-scale production, an area Beijing increasingly treats as part of pharmaceutical competitiveness and supply-chain security.