Chinese pharma companies are continuing to pile into the already overcrowded domestic anti-PD-1/L1 sector in China, but despite the competition and regulatory tightening, the latecomers are looking for opportunities in areas such as cervical and small cell lung cancer with relatively fewer contenders.

Sino Biopharm's $161m all-cash acquisition of F-star has finally closed amid heightening US-China tensions and following completion the Chinese firm, through its UK subsidiary invoX, plans to expand its operations and presence at F-star’s UK headquarters.

Last December, China's Akeso struck a major agreement worth up to $5bn with Summit Therapeutics, which set a new record in terms of total deal value for a single asset in the Chinese biopharma sector. Akeso founder and CEO Michelle Xia is now planning to pursue a more independent path in taking the firm global.

The 2022 pricing negotiations for innovative drugs organized by China’s National Healthcare Security Administration have slashed prices of included products by 60% on average, a level mostly unchanged from the 2021 round, although 36% more novel medicines were covered.