Prognosis
To Get the Latest Drugs, Head to China
For the first time giants like AstraZeneca are taking their newest blockbuster medicines to China before the U.S. and Europe.
Photo Illustration: Tom Hall/Bloomberg
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It’s been less than a year since Beijing cut back red tape on drug approvals and already Chinese patients can expect to get some breakthrough medicines before Americans.
Britain’s AstraZeneca Plc will bring its newest anemia treatment to pharmacies in Shanghai and Beijing about a year before it’s available in U.S. cities. It’s a similar story for the bowel cancer remedy American giant Eli Lilly & Co. is making with a Chinese partner.