From Follower to Force: China’s Biotech Sector Enters the Global Clinical Mainstream

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Over the past decade, China has evolved from a biotechnology follower into an increasingly influential global innovator. Once reliant on Western pharmaceutical companies for advanced therapies, the country is now building a homegrown biotech ecosystem that addresses domestic healthcare needs while contributing to global drug development.

This shift is driven by sustained policy support, rising R&D investment, and a strong life sciences talent base. China’s R&D spending has grown from below 1% of GDP two decades ago to nearly 2.7% in 2023, approaching U.S. levels. With the world’s largest cohort of STEM graduates and a rapidly expanding clinical trial infrastructure, China has surpassed the United States in total clinical trials, reinforcing its role in global biomedical research.

China’s growing international presence is increasingly visible on leading scientific stages.

HELP Therapeutics on the Global Stage

At the 22nd Global Cardiovascular Clinical Trialists Forum (CVCT), a leading platform for cardiovascular research, Dr. Eugene Jiaxian Wang, Founder and CEO of HELP Therapeutics, presented China’s latest clinical progress in cell therapy for heart failure.

During the session “Cell Therapy Heart Failure Trials: Cells, Delivery, and Disease-Specific Strategies,” Dr. Wang shared translational and clinical data from iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte programs, highlighting China’s advancement of cell therapies into rigorously designed, multinational clinical development.

HELP’s lead program, HiCM-188, is the world’s first iPSC-derived regenerative therapy for advanced heart failure to receive IND clearance in both China and the United States. The therapy is currently in Phase II trials in China and Phase I/II trials across the U.S., Singapore, and Thailand, supported by more than six years of follow-up demonstrating robust safety and encouraging efficacy. HELP has also entered a strategic co-development and commercialization partnership with China Resources Sanjiu Pharmaceutical to accelerate clinical translation.

From Participants to Leaders

China’s biotech momentum reflects structural advantages including large patient populations, integrated clinical infrastructure, sustained capital support, and cost-efficient R&D capabilities. These strengths have driven growth in cross-border licensing, with Chinese-origin molecules now accounting for nearly 30% of global drug development.

As global healthcare systems confront aging populations and chronic disease, China’s biotechnology sector is becoming an indispensable contributor to global innovation.

About HELP Therapeutics
Help Therapeutics is a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to revolutionizing the treatment of degenerative diseases through stem cell and regenerative medicine technologies.

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SOURCE HELP Therapeutics