On September 13th, the State Council Information Office hosted a press conference in Beijing as part of its initiative on “Promoting High-Quality Development.” During this event, Li Li, head of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), discussed significant advancements in China’s pharmaceutical innovation and the swift introduction of novel products into the market.

Li emphasized the NMPA’s dedication to enhancing reforms that facilitate the research and commercialization of innovative drugs and medical devices. “High-quality development serves as a safeguard for high-level safety,” he remarked, stressing the vital connection between ensuring public safety in medication and improving drug quality with the overall growth of the pharmaceutical industry. To enhance the efficiency of this process, the NMPA has overhauled its review and approval systems, introducing measures like early interventions, tailored strategies for specific companies, comprehensive guidance throughout the entire development journey, and collaborative reviews.

Since its inception in 2018, the NMPA has issued 357 technical guidelines for drug reviews and 494 for medical devices—outpacing the total issued in the previous several decades and providing strong support for research and innovation in these sectors.

Highlighting the ongoing progress, Li reported that from January to August of this year, the NMPA approved 31 innovative drugs and 46 innovative medical devices, marking growth rates of 19.23% and 12.19%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. He pointed out that advancements in small molecule targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and cell therapy have made significant strides in international markets, gaining recognition for China’s innovative pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, high-end medical devices, such as surgical robots, artificial hearts, and carbon ion therapy systems, have been launched, with some achieving international leadership in their fields.