新兴中心：亚洲在生物制药未来中的作用

The emergingepicenter: Asia’s rolein biopharma’s future The emerging epicenter: Asia’srole in biopharma’s future is published by McKinsey’s Life Sciences Practice. McKinsey & Company1200 19th Street NW Fl. 10-11, Suite 1100 Authors: Anirudh Roy Popli, Fangning Zhang,Jay Park, and Franck De LeuEditors: Gwyn Herbein, ImprintArt director: Aphra This publication is not intended to be used as thebasis for trading in the shares of any company orfor undertaking any other complex or significantfinancial transaction without consulting appropriate Copyright © 2026 McKinsey & Company.All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Asia is now the epicenter of global biopharmaceutical progress—outpacing the United States and Europe in pipeline growth, patents,and next-gen therapies. In just five years, Asia has expanded itsshare of the global innovative pipeline from 28 percent to 43 Asia has leapfrogged from fast follower to front-runner. Once seen as a manufacturing hub, it’s nowa launchpad for next-gen therapies, new modalities,and global partnerships. That momentum is playingout across key innovation metrics—from US Food Within Asia, China stands out as the pacesetter,now representing 29 percent of the globalinnovative pipeline and accelerating developmenttimelines far beyond industry averages.3Upfrontpayments from China-originated out-licensing Consider these milestones:In 2024, Asia generatednearly two-thirds of biotech patent grants—fivetimes Europe’s share—and contributed about aquarter of global out-licensing deals.2While stillaccounting for only around one in ten FDA novel- But there is more to Asia’s innovation thanChina.South Korea is rapidly scaling, buildingmomentum in FDA approvals, striking out-licensing deals, and advancing regulatory reforms Each market sits at a different stage of maturity,but all are on a clear innovation journey. Theircumulative momentum could transform the globalbiopharma landscape—and establish Asia as the Asia’s emergence as a hub for biopharma innovationis underpinned by government support, deepscientific capabilities, and globalized models of trial Exhibit 1 Key milestones show how Asian markets entered biopharma innovation atdifferent points and set the stage for new therapies to be developed. McKinsey & Company 2. Innovation progressthrough two lenses To assess how Asia’s biopharma markets are progressing oninnovation, McKinsey applies an analytical framework built on The first (Exhibit 2) focuses on foundationalcapabilities across the value chain—from basicresearch and discovery through development,manufacturing, and commercialization. in discovery, development, and advancedbiologics manufacturing, supported by denseContract Research Organization (CRO)/Contract Development & Manufacturing McKinsey & Company commercialization, while Singapore contributesfocused excellence in early-stage innovation andplatform development. India continues to leadin cost-efficient manufacturing and is graduallyexpanding its innovation footprint. The overall alignment with global standards, a large andincreasingly skilled talent base, and advanceddigital and data infrastructure. Japan bringsmature regulatory processes and high-qualityscientific talent, while South Korea and Singaporepair targeted policy incentives with strengtheningclinical and digital capabilities. India offerssignificant talent scale and rapid digital adoption, The other (Exhibit 3) looks outward at the keyenablers that shape the broader ecosystem,including government policy, regulatory integration,access to capital, talent, culture, and digitalinfrastructure. The region’s innovation potentialis reinforced by varying levels of ecosystem Together, these lenses reveal not only how far eachmarket has come, but also which ecosystem forceswill shape what comes next. McKinsey & Company 3. Country-by-country deep dive China: Scale, speed, andscientific reach 2023, with patient recruitment and developmenttimelines outpacing benchmarks in the United China is Asia’s largest contributor to globalbiopharma innovation—responsible forapproximately 30 percent of the worldwideinnovative pipeline—and is increasingly shapinghow therapies are discovered, developed, andscaled. China is Asia’s top destination for biotech-focused investment, raising US $26 billion in privateequity (PE)/venture capital (VC) between 2019 and2024.5Its capabilities now span discovery throughlate development, with strength in antibody-drugconjugates (ADCs) and multispecific antibodies, Regulatory reforms—including China’s accessionto the ICH (International Council for Harmonisationof Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticalsfor Human Use) and a fourfold increase in staff atthe Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE)6—have cutthe approval duration from 4.5 years in 2018 toabout one year by 2023. Chinese investigators areincreasingly leading clinical trials, including first-in-China tests of new modality combinations suchas Akeso’s PD-1/VEGF bispecific ant