Multinational Pharma Giants Ramp Up China Investments: Lilly, J&J Lead Surge in Product Launches, R&D Collaborations, and Local Manufacturing

　　【Pharmaceutical Network | Industry Trends] Since 2026, multinational pharmaceutical companies have been placing increasing emphasis on the Chinese market. Within the past month alone, numerous firms—including Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Novo Nordisk—have taken frequent actions in three key areas: launching new drugs in China, making significant investments in production capacity, and deeply integrating into the local industrial supply chain.
 

　　Bulk Acquisition of China's Innovative Pipeline
 

On June 24, Eli Lilly and Company entered into a strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Akeso Pharma. Under the agreement, the two parties will collaborate on innovative drug development targeting multiple disease pathways, jointly advancing novel candidate drugs with global potential, with the total potential value of the transaction reaching $1.9 billion. On May 29, Haisco Pharmaceutical Group reached a collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly, valued at up to $3.054 billion; under the terms, Haisco will leverage its small-molecule innovation technology platform and efficient new drug development capabilities to conduct discovery and early-stage R&D for up to five innovative drug projects selected by Eli Lilly.
 

SK Biopharmaceuticals of South Korea announced on June 22 that it had entered into an AI-driven drug discovery collaboration with Insilico Medicine, with a total potential transaction value exceeding $2.5 billion. The partnership focuses on neuroimmune disorders within the central nervous system (CNS) field, covering neuroinflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare neurological disorders.
 

On June 22, Nuvectis announced that it had secured exclusive global rights in certain regions to two clinical-stage innovative drugs from Haisco (the BRAF inhibitor NXP200 and the complement factor B inhibitor NXP100), with a total transaction value of up to $1.46 billion.
 

　　New Drug/New Indication Approved for Market Launch
 

On June 22, Johnson & Johnson announced that its innovative therapeutic drug Zebec® (niraparib and abiraterone tablets) has officially been approved by the National Medical Products Administration. The approved indication is for use in combination with prednisone or prednisolone for adult patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer carrying germline and/or somatic BRCA2 gene mutations. This drug had previously been approved for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer carrying germline and/or somatic BRCA gene mutations.
 

In June, Eli Lilly received approval for its innovative breast cancer drug elacestrant tosylate tablets (brand name: Zexu) for the treatment of advanced breast cancer with ESR1 mutations. The approval covers both monotherapy and dual combination regimens, thereby strengthening its endocrine therapy pipeline. This approval is based on the global Phase III EMBER-3 study of elacestrant. The study results demonstrated that in patients harboring ESR1 mutations, elacestrant reduced the risk of disease progression or death, whether administered as monotherapy or in combination with abemaciclib.
 

　　Continued Investment Increases in Localized Production Capacity and R&D Centers
 

Novo Nordisk announced on June 15 an additional investment of RMB 200 million in its strategic production base in Tianjin to enhance the assembly capacity for 1.5 mL FlexTouch® injection pens. Since 2003, Novo Nordisk’s cumulative investment in China has exceeded RMB 17 billion.
 

Bayer Consumer Health China Innovation Partnership Center (CCIP) was officially unveiled in Jinan on June 3. This center focuses on open innovation in the fields of skin health and digestive health, aiming to achieve an innovation transformation from “in China” to “for China.”
 

Daiichi Sankyo plans to invest approximately RMB 1.1 billion in June to expand its production capacity in China by building a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Shanghai, which is scheduled to begin operations in fiscal year 2030. The plant is expected to produce Daiichi Sankyo’s flagship anticancer drug, Enhertu, as well as Datroway, a novel anticancer agent that the company hopes to develop into a blockbuster product.
 

Overall, since 2026, multinational pharmaceutical companies have intensified their activities in China. Whether through launching new products or making capacity investments worth billions of euros, these moves indicate that China is evolving from an “important market” for multinational pharma into one of the “global hubs for innovation and manufacturing.”
 

　　Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall the information or opinions expressed in this article constitute investment advice to any person.