Many gene therapies companies have faced R&D and financial problems this year but the longer term potential of the field and low prices might tempt big pharma into deals.

From founding to the approval and commercial launch of its first innovative drug took Beijing-based biotech InnoCare just seven years. After a listing in Hong Kong, the firm is now heading to Shanghai after obtaining the green light for a second listing from the STAR board.

While many pharma firms in China choose to partner with US companies, Jiangsu Hengrui is relying on itself to go global. The Chinese pharma giant is betting on its newly established US subsidiary Luzsana in a major move to make its wide-ranging products more available, accessible and affordable to patients in the US and the rest of the world.

While many of his peers elbowed each other to leap into oncology, James Xue decided to focus on rare diseases such as Hunter’s Syndrome. Now, 10 years after founding CANbridge, the CEO sat down for an audio interview with Scrip to offer his views on a flurry of key issues impacting orphan drug development in potentially the world's largest pharma market.