China, obesity and biologics to fuel drug sales growth, says Evaluate report
1 Aug 2025
China’s bioscience sector growth will be a key factor in the growth of global prescription drug sales during this decade, predicts life sciences intelligence firm Evaluate.
Its 2025 World Preview Report claims the country’s output will “undeniably upend the biopharma world order” … “churning out me-better and even first-in-class molecules in high volumes, with high efficiency”.
Just five year ago, says the company, China-sourced assets accounted for a mere 3% of all worldwide; this year, its output will comprise almost 40% of the total.
Daniel Chancellor, vice president of thought leadership at Evaluate parent company Norstella said the report demonstrated “reassuring continuity” year on year, with key drivers of growth remaining resilient.
“However, there are certainly signs of fundamental change brewing, particularly when looking at China. Global competition, evolving regulatory dynamics, and new sources of innovation will inevitably reshape the industry, and time will tell which factors hold the most weight,” he commented.
Latest data from Evaluate’s report suggests global prescription drug sales will top US$1.75 trillion by 2030 – a compound annual growth of more than 7%.
GLP-1 agonists, which mimic the natural hormone that regulates blood sugar and can function as an appetite suppressant, have undergone increased demand as treatments for obesity as well as type 2 diabetes
Together with oncology, immunology, central nervous system and cardiovascular diseases GLP-1 agonists now rank among the fastest growing therapeutic areas, says the study.
Obesity drugs are predicted to post average annual growth between 2024 and 2030 of 20% says the report. By the decade’s end they are expected to comprise nearly 9% of all prescription drug sales.
Biologics, drugs formed from living organism components, are likewise expected to significantly increase their market share and account for 57% of global pharma value, as well as for 70% of the top 100 products.
However, a significant loss for key pharmaceutical industry players will arise from patent expiries over the period. An estimated US$300 billion in potential sales representing 3-4% of the overall market will be lost in the remainder of the decade.
Pic: Towfiqu Barbhuiya
