10 orphan drugs imported from overseas, and 40 new drug approvals, including many from domestic developers, capped 2023 as one of the busiest years for China's drug regulatory agency, as Beijing pivoted to emphasizing affordable innovation and expanding access to newer therapies for rare conditions.

With the success of the partnership between J&J and partner Legend, more Chinese cell therapy developers are now looking to enter the US market. But for a complex product like a CAR-T therapy, the journey to the West is not short of challenges. Nasdaq-listed Gracell Bio wants to give it a shot based on quicker delivery and cost-effectiveness advantages.

Licensing deals and partnerships carried the day during another hectic J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Pfizer racked up its third deal of the week in a cancer collaboration with Dren Bio.

From BeiGene to Innovent to Wuxi Biologics, executives at Chinese pharma firms are now discussing collaborations to go beyond China to become biopharma operations with a truly global presence.