On July 12, 2026, Chinese media outlet Yicai reported that the total value of overseas licensing deals for China's innovative drugs (innovative new drugs) in the first half of 2026 reached approximately 110 billion USD (approximately 17.7 trillion JPY), a scale that approaches the full-year performance of 2025.

According to the article, at the "Changping Life Science Forum" held in Beijing on the 12th, an official from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) released the latest data. From January to June this year, 38 new drugs were approved, of which all 11 drugs targeting new targets and new mechanisms were domestically produced. While 76 new drugs were approved in the full year of 2025, setting a new record, only 4 of the new target and new mechanism drugs were domestically produced. This means that this year, in just six months, the number significantly surpassed the entire previous year.

Notable approved items include the world's first bispecific antibody ADC drug, the world's first CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors, the world's first monoclonal antibody targeting hepatitis B and D, and China's first independently developed global novel radiopharmaceutical. The official stated that this "demonstrates China's progress towards becoming a major power in innovative drug research and development."

Furthermore, NMPA statistics revealed that while the total value of overseas licensing deals for the full year 2025 was 135.655 billion USD (approximately 21.8 trillion JPY), it reached approximately 110 billion USD in just January to June this year alone, thus officially corroborating the industry's prediction that "2026 will be a banner year for BD (business development) deals."

The article further noted that the dissemination of new drugs in the domestic market is also accelerating, introducing that a bispecific antibody ADC drug developed by Bio-Thera Solutions (Chengdu), after receiving conditional approval on June 22, had its initial shipment delivered to approximately 700 medical institutions and pharmacies in over 200 cities nationwide in less than a week. The National Healthcare Security Administration stated that this "reflects the vigorous development of our country's pharmaceutical industry and the active participation of enterprises."

Finally, the National Healthcare Security Administration reportedly indicated its future policy to more strongly support true innovation and differentiated innovation through optimizing the adjustment rules of the medical insurance catalog, promoting a comprehensive evaluation system based on real-world data, expanding diversified payment channels, and jointly establishing international evaluation standards. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)