Chinese AI-driven drug-design firms are rapidly expanding their global presence through cross-border deals, with out-licensing agreements reaching US$75 billion in the first five months of 2026, despite increasing scrutiny from Washington on Chinese biotech companies. A deal between Metis TechBio and Boulevard Bio exemplifies this trend.
Royalty Pharma, the world's largest biopharmaceutical royalty buyer, established its first Asia-Pacific base in Hong Kong. This move aims to capitalize on record Chinese biotech out-licensing deals and offers an alternative financing method amidst US investment restrictions and geopolitical uncertainties.
Chinese biotech companies are pursuing global commercialization despite US regulatory barriers, leveraging cost advantages in markets like Europe. Insilico Medicine's Ren Feng highlighted the need for internationalization and the challenge of lacking overseas clinical teams, suggesting business development deals as a solution.
