STAT+: The China question is tearing biotech apart

Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article By Damian GardeMay 18, 2026 Garde, who has covered biotech for nearly 15 years, spoke with more than a dozen investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders about how China has caused a rift between peers and partners. Damian Garde[email protected]Damian Garde is a reporter at large, live and feature journalism, covering the global drug industry and contributing to STAT’s industry-leading events. There’s a schism in America’s drug business, playing out in punchy direct messages, feisty group chats, and the occasional heated in-person exchange. The problem is China. Fledgling startups and pharmaceutical giants alike are addicted to Chinese drugs, filling their pipelines with would-be blockbusters developed at enviable speed and bought on the cheap. They’ve spent some $60 billion on Chinese molecules in the first three months of 2026 alone, according to state figures. That’s on pace to double last year’s total, which was already 10 times larger than the one from 2021.Advertisement No one disagrees that it’s good business. And more drugs moving swiftly through development means hope for patients around the world desperately awaiting new medicines. But, according to more than a dozen interviews with industry executives and investors, the question of whether to partner with Chinese firms — or see them as rivals — is tearing biotech apart, pitting peers and partners against one another and souring relationships in an otherwise close-knit corporate community. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts. Already have an account? Log in Monthly $39 Totals $468 per year $39/month Get Started Totals $468 per year Starter $30 for 3 months, then $399/year $30 for 3 months Get Started Then $399/year Annual $399 Save 15% $399/year Get Started Save 15% 11+ Users Custom Savings start at 25%! Request A Quote Request A Quote Savings start at 25%! 2-10 Users $300 Annually per user $300/year Get Started $300 Annually per user View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe Log In biotechnology, drug development, Pharmaceuticals, Policy, STAT+ Submit a correction requestReprints Damian Garde Reporter at Large, Live and Feature Journalism Damian Garde is a reporter at large, live and feature journalism, covering the global drug industry and contributing to STAT’s industry-leading events. Recommended The Readout May 15, 2026 STAT Plus: A political contest in the U.K. could shake up drug pricing D.C. Diagnosis May 14, 2026 STAT Plus: The hunt for FDA’s next leader Advertisement The Readout May 14, 2026 STAT Plus: BeOne wins FDA approval in lymphoma race Health Tech Newsletter May 14, 2026 STAT Plus: Why big digital health players are missing from Medicare’s chronic care experiment Biotech May 14, 2026 STAT Plus: Biogen’s tau-targeting Alzheimer’s drug posts mixed results in mid-stage study Subscriber Picks