American rival Johnson & Johnson JNJ 0.46% is creating innovative drugs to tackle lung cancer and hepatitis B, endemic in China. Until a few years ago, China lacked the manpower needed for drug discovery, a process that involves searching for compounds with medicinal potential. But a government program encouraged thousands of Western-trained Chinese scientists to return over the past decade, encouraging Big Pharma to deepen research. Lung cancer, for example, is widespread in the U.S. and the U.K.Not every project will produce a new discovery. “What’s important—whether it’s Big Pharma or companies like ours—is that drugs are now specifically being designed for Chinese patients,” said Chi-Med’s Chief Executive Christian Hogg.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 05, 2017 10:52 UTC