China aims for 25% of global first-in-class drugs by 2030 under new five-year plan

China's government has set an ambitious target to capture at least a quarter of the world’s first‑in‑class drug discoveries by 2030. The goal is part of a five‑year plan released by the National Medical Products Administration and eight other agencies, covering the period from 2026 to 2030.

The plan calls for a leap in the competitiveness and international influence of China’s pharma sector, with policy support for new targets, mechanisms and modalities. Priority disease areas include major infectious and chronic illnesses as well as rare and pediatric conditions.

Officials also aim to boost R&D investment to help domestic companies bring more investigational new drugs into the clinic for the first time, with a target of 50 domestic drugmakers achieving significant milestones by the end of the decade.