Multinational Pharma Companies Deepen China Commitment with Local Innovation and Investment

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　Reporter Liang Aonan

Recently, multiple multinational pharmaceutical companies have launched a new round of strategic layouts in the Chinese market, ranging from research and development centers to production bases, from digital innovation to full industry chain investments. These actions highlight China's increasingly important position in the global pharmaceutical innovation landscape.

On October 25, the Medtronic Digital Healthcare Innovation Base and Medtronic Museum officially opened at the Beijing International Medical Innovation Park (BioPark). The base is dedicated to developing disease management solutions based on artificial intelligence and big data, focusing on cardiovascular, minimally invasive surgery, and neuroscience fields. It will also build a high-level medical training center and enhance patient prevention and management services by establishing a patient care center and introducing digital technologies.

Medtronic's Global Senior Vice President and Greater China President, Gu Yushao, told the Securities Daily: "The completion of Medtronic's Digital Healthcare Innovation Hub is a crucial step for Medtronic to deepen its presence in the Chinese market and enhance the layout of the local value chain. It demonstrates our confidence that China will become the world's largest healthcare market and an important source of innovation. We hope to leverage Beijing’s leading medical resources and innovative momentum, collaborate with partners to create more intelligent healthcare innovation models, and jointly shape the future landscape of healthcare."

On the same day, AstraZeneca announced the official launch of its new Global Strategic R&D Center in Beijing. As the core project of AstraZeneca's $2.5 billion (approximately 18 billion yuan) investment plan, the Global Strategic R&D Center features an advanced artificial intelligence and data science hub, aiming to accelerate the translation of early drug research findings into clinical development. The center will expand collaborations with local clinical trial institutions, universities, and biotech companies, deepen the understanding of diseases, and incubate scientific innovations.

AstraZeneca stated: "The new global strategic R&D center will leverage Beijing's world-leading scientific ecosystem and advantages in artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of next-generation innovative drugs."

Prior to this, on October 17, Sanofi announced the official launch of its insulin active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) project located in Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone (Yizhuang, Beijing). The total investment for this project amounts to 1 billion euros. This is the first insulin API production base established by a multinational company in China.

Sanofi Greater China President Wang Shi told reporters from the Securities Daily: "This investment is an important part of Sanofi's 'China Solution.' The new base will work in synergy with the existing production bases in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou to create a high-quality manufacturing network covering everything from active pharmaceutical ingredients to finished formulations, more efficiently meeting the evolving healthcare needs of Chinese patients. Relying on Sanofi’s over a century of expertise in the diabetes field, we will continue to collaborate with government, industry, and academic partners to advance diabetes prevention, control, and management, contributing to the realization of the 'Healthy China 2030' vision."

In addition, Eli Lilly's Beijing Innovation Incubator was officially launched this year, marking the platform's first deployment outside the United States. Derk Hooijer, President and General Manager of Eli Lilly China, stated: "The biopharmaceutical market in China is thriving, demonstrating strong growth momentum and a robust demand for innovation. As a global leader in the healthcare market, China is also a hub for emerging biotechnology research and development, providing an ideal environment for scientific breakthroughs."

Behind this series of investments is China's continuous optimization of the policy environment in the pharmaceuticals industry. For instance, in April this year, the "Several Measures to Support the High-Quality Development of Innovative Pharmaceuticals in Beijing (2025)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") was released, further accelerating innovation in Beijing's pharmaceuticals and health industry and promoting innovative drugs.Innovative HealthcareHigh-Quality Development of Medical Devices. The "Measures" propose to promote the establishment of the National Biotechnology Academy, initiate the construction of the Beijing Clinical Research Center, and concentrate on the establishment of international pharmaceutical companies' R&D and innovation centers. Focus on cutting-edge fields such as medical artificial intelligence, cell and gene therapy, and synthetic biology to carry out globally leading clinical research and technology transfer. Align with global advanced management and standard systems to attract international advanced pharmaceutical enterprises to establish digital and intelligent infrastructure in Beijing, creating a transformation platform and innovative service system with international influence.

In September, the National Health Commission held the 2025 Symposium for Chinese and Foreign Pharmaceutical Enterprises in Beijing. The meeting emphasized the need to fully leverage China's advantages in prioritizing health development, its ultra-large-scale market, expanded openness, optimized business environment, comprehensive industrial capabilities, strong R&D resources, and social stability. It encouraged foreign enterprises to expand investments in China while guiding local companies to explore overseas markets, furthering the "In China, For the World" strategy.

Zhu Keli, the founding president of the Guoyan New Economy Research Institute, told the Securities Daily that the strategic focus of multinational pharmaceutical companies is shifting from "Made in China" to "Created in China". At present, China is not only a vast consumer market, but also possesses the key elements to become a global innovation hub: continuously optimized review and approval policies, top-tier scientific research talent reserves, abundant clinical resources, and early advantages in fields such as digital healthcare.

In the view of industry insiders, the deep localization of multinational pharmaceutical companies not only introduces global cutting-edge technologies and management experiences to China but also forms a synergistic division of labor with local pharmaceutical companies as a "global bridge" and "source of innovation." Both parties are moving from a zero-sum game towards deep integration, jointly promoting the competition dimension to upgrade towards clinical value through cooperative research and development and co-building ecosystems.China MedicineAn engine for high-quality innovation in the industry, benefiting patients worldwide.

Editor: Gao Jia