science
U.S. Biotech Firms Spent $60 Billion on Chinese Drugs in First Quarter
American drug companies purchased Chinese-developed molecules at a pace that would double last year's total. The purchases have created divisions within the industry over whether to treat Chinese firms as partners or competitors.
May 18, 9:39 AM·1m read1 source
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U.S. biotech companies spent $60 billion on Chinese-developed molecules during the first three months of 2026, according to state figures reported by STAT. The spending rate is on track to double the total recorded for all of 2025, which itself was ten times higher than the amount spent in 2021.
Both startup firms and large pharmaceutical companies have relied on Chinese compounds to fill their development pipelines. The compounds are described as reaching clinical stages faster and at lower cost than comparable domestic options.
The purchases have produced disagreements among companies about whether to continue working with Chinese firms or to view them as direct competitors. These disagreements have affected relationships in what had been a closely connected corporate community.
The same STAT report noted that the question of partnership versus rivalry has created splits between peers that previously maintained cooperative arrangements. U.S. government on May 14. The purchases occurred during a period that included government actions affecting the company's GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, including steps toward Medicare reimbursement for those indications.
