Top-line results for two newly approved COVID-19 antivirals in China showed roughly 1.5- to two-day cuts in median time to symptom resolution or recovery in mild-to-moderate Omicron patients versus placebo.

The hard going could get even tougher as a funding crunch continues for China’s biotech sector, which is being hit by a paradox that could see more pain ahead, leading investors to take the pulse of the sector as the Year of the Rabbit starts.

The 2022 pricing negotiations for innovative drugs organized by China’s National Healthcare Security Administration have slashed prices of included products by 60% on average, a level mostly unchanged from the 2021 round, although 36% more novel medicines were covered.

The firm’s Tecentriq has bounced back from recent setbacks with a pivotal success in the adjuvant liver cancer setting.