SHANGHAI/LONDON ¨C Leading Chinese drugmakers with global ambitions such as Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals and CanSino Biologics are struggling to recruit internationally experienced staff needed to develop and commercialize promising medicines overseas, industry executives say.
The shortage reflects how China¡¯s rapid rise as a hub for testing experimental, next-generation medicines is outpacing the industry¡¯s ability to build the workforce needed to take those products global.
China-headquartered clinical trial sponsors conducted 88% of their trials exclusively in China in 2025, according to data from IQVIA, ?a health sector research firm. By contrast, in the U.S.,?they ran just 5% of all trials in 2025, underscoring the scale of the challenge ahead, particularly after ?the U.S. ?declined to approve some China-tested drugs and called for multiregional trials that might better reflect U.S. patients and clinical practice.
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