Hengrui Medicine Tops China's Non-BE Clinical Trial Sponsors for Two Consecutive Years

In 2025, the number of drug clinical trial registrations in China reached 5,210, marking a leapfrog increase of 3.7 times over the past eight years. Amidst this R&D boom,Hengrui Pharmawith particularly outstanding performance, leveraging 177 trials in 2024 and 162 trials in 2025,Ranked No. 1 Among the Top 20 Sponsors of Non-Bioequivalence Trials for Two Consecutive Years, continuously consolidating its absolute leading position in the field of clinical development of new drugs in China.

The following content is excerpted from the "Blue Book of China's Pharmaceutical R&D (2026)."

Registration Status of Drug Clinical Trials in 2025

Over the past nine years, the number of drug clinical trial registrations in China has continued to rise.The total number of registrations in 2025 exceeded 5,000, reaching 5,210., representing a year-on-year increase of 6.7% compared to 2024, and achieving a leapfrog growth of nearly 3.7-fold over the eight years since 2017.

In terms of drug categories,Chemical drugs continue to hold an absolute dominant position, the number of registrations reached 3,875 in 2025. Although the growth rate slowed compared to the previous period, it still accounted for 74.4% of the total; the biologics sector continued its strong growth momentum, surpassing 1,000 items in 2024 and further climbing to 1,215 in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.3%; R&D enthusiasm in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sector continued to rise, with the number of registrations reaching 120 in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 23.7% compared to 2024.

Figure 1 Trends in Clinical Trial Registration in China, 2017–2025 (by Registration Number)

Data Source: Yaozhi Data

Analysis of Participating Institutions in Drug Clinical Trials in 2025

1. Top 20 Sponsors of Clinical Drug Trials

The Top 20 Sponsors of Non-Bioequivalence Clinical Drug Trials in China in 2025 Show That,Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Has Ranked First in the Top 20 List of Sponsors for Non-Bioequivalence Clinical Drug Trials in China for Two Consecutive Years, with the number of clinical trials reaching 177 and 162 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, securing an absolute leading position in the field of new drug clinical research and development in China.

AstraZeneca ranked second with 126 projects, followed by Novartis AG (72) and Pfizer Inc. (55).International pharmaceutical companies hold significant positions on the list, underscoring their continued in-depth engagement in China’s clinical research market. Among domestic firms, leading enterprises such as Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group (54 trials), CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, and Qilu Pharmaceutical have consistently secured spots, forming a landscape where domestic leaders and international pharmaceutical companies exert synergistic efforts.

Figure 2 Top 20 Sponsors of Non-BE Clinical Drug Trials in China in 2025, by Registration Number

Note: According to the group company's statistics, the co-applicant units are calculated separately.

Data Source: Yaozhi Data

In the Top 20 Sponsors of Clinical Bioequivalence (BE) Trials in China in 2025,Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical and Beijing Fuyuan Pharmaceutical Tied for First Place with 44 BE Trials Each, Qilu Pharmaceutical (33), Jiangxi Shimei Pharmaceutical (33), and CSPC Holding Group (32) followed closely. The overall ranking showed a high concentration of leading companies with relatively small gaps between tiers.

Figure 3 Top 20 Sponsors of Clinical Bioequivalence (BE) Trials in China in 2025, by Registration Number

Note: According to the Group Company’s statistics, co-applicant entities are calculated separately (due to ties, the number of entries in the Top 20 list will exceed 20).

Data Source: YAOZHI Data

2. Top 20 Clinical Trial Institutions for Drugs

Note: "Completion rate of trials led in the past 5 years" refers to the completion rate of projects undertaken from 2021 to 2025.

The Top 20 Clinical Trial Institutions for Non-Bioequivalence Studies in China (2025) show a relatively high concentration among leading institutions, with the first tier primarily comprising institutions specializing in oncology, among whichFudan University Shanghai Cancer CenterWith 132 trials as the lead sponsor unit, it ranked first; Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center followed closely with 112 trials as the lead sponsor unit. In terms of the completion rate of led trials over the past five years, there were significant differences among institutions.Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan HospitalRanked highest at 49.10%,Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, which led the highest number of clinical trials, had a completion rate of only 7.07% over the past five years, primarily because its large volume of undertaken trial projects somewhat lowered the overall trial completion rate.

Among the Top 20 BE Trial Institutions in 2025,Henan Zhonghui Cardiovascular HospitalWith 113 trials ranking first, the completion rate over the past five years was 82.11%; Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital ranked second with 78 lead trials, achieving a five-year completion rate of 80.79%. The overall completion rate for BE trial institutions remained high.

Table 1 Top 20 Clinical Trial Institutions for Non-Bioequivalence Studies in China, 2025 – By Registration Number

Note: Ranked by the number of trials led by the principal investigator.

Data Source: Yaozhi Data

Table 2 Top 20 Clinical Bioequivalence (BE) Trial Institutions in China in 2025, Ranked by Registration Number

Note: Ranked by the number of trials led by the principal investigator.

Data Source: Yaozhi Data

This article is excerpted from the "Blue Book of Pharmaceutical R&D in China (2026)"

To be continued...

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