Hong Kong-listed Chinese drug firms set to turn corner on rising sales, licensing deals

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Julie ZhangMarch 1, 2026 at 05:00 AM

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Hong Kong-listed mainland Chinese pharmaceutical companies are projected to achieve full-year profits due to increased drug sales and out-licensing agreements. Macquarie Capital anticipates strong earnings for innovative drugs in China despite domestic pricing pressures. Innovent Biologics, the first Chinese company approved to sell a weight loss and diabetes drug, is expected to report its first full-year profit of 984 million yuan in 2025, a significant turnaround from a loss in 2024. Innovent's revenue is expected to increase by 45% in 2025, driven by cancer treatment drug development and the launch of six new products last year. Innovent, founded in 2011, was among the first companies to list in Hong Kong under rules allowing pre-revenue firms to raise capital.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Bloomberg 40% Jiangsu 40% Lianyungang 40% Hengrui Biomedical Industrial Park 50% Macquarie Capital 60% Hong Kong ×270% Tony Ren 70% China ×280% Innovent Biologics ×490%

Keywords

pharmaceutical companies 90% drug sales 80% licensing deals 70% profitability 70% hong kong-listed 60% innovative drugs 60% drug pricing 50% innovent biologics 50% cancer treatment 40% research and development 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

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Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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pharmaceutical companies drug sales licensing deals profitability hong kong-listed innovative drugs drug pricing innovent biologics cancer treatment research and development

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