Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40196756›Full record

ArticleDrug design, development and therapy2025

New Drug Approvals in China: An International Comparative Analysis, 2019-2023.

Yilong Yan, Xiangyu Guo, Ziming Li, Weilin Shi, Min Long, Xiaolin Yue, Fanpu Kong, Zhigang Zhao

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Drug design, development and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. The evolving landscape of drug targets.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yilong Yan *Department of Pharmacy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0002-4454-386X
Xiangyu Guo *School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Ziming LiDepartment of Pharmacy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Weilin ShiData Center, Kangzhou Pharmaceutical Big Data Development and Application Research Institute, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Min LongData Center, Chongqing Kangzhou Big Data (Group) Co., Ltd, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Xiaolin YueParty Committee Office, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Fanpu KongSchool of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Zhigang ZhaoDepartment of Pharmacy, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Over the past five years, China's pharmaceutical industry has rapidly developed but still lags behind global leaders. This study aims to analyze and compare the trends in new drug approvals in China, the United States (US), the European Union (EU), and Japan from 2019 to 2023. Methods: Data on new drug approvals were collected from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), and Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), including information on the generic name, trade name, applicants, target, approval date, drug type, approved indications, therapeutic area, the highest R&D status in China, and special approval status. The approval time gaps between China and other regions were calculated. Results: From 2019 to 2023, China led with 256 new drug approvals, followed by the US (243 approvals), the EU (191 approvals), and Japan (187 approvals). Oncology, hematology, and infectiology were identified as the leading therapeutic areas globally and in China. Notably, PD-1 and EGFR inhibitors saw substantial approval, with 8 drugs each approved by the NMPA. China significantly reduced the approval timeline gap with the US and the EU since 2021, approving 15 first-in-class drugs during the study period. Conclusion: Despite COVID-19 challenges, China has improved in both the quantity and speed of new drug approvals, narrowing timeline gaps with major markets and enhancing its global pharmaceutical presence.

Indexed as

Drug ApprovalChinaEuropean UnionHumansJapanUnited StatesUnited States Food and Drug Administrationfirst-in-classnew drugspecial approvaltargetstherapeutic areas

Identifiers

PMID40196756
PMCPMC11974572

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.