After the recent approval of its first all-oral hepatitis C regimen, the China FDA is striving to approve within a year more direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies to treat all genotypes of the disease, setting the stage for both multinational and domestic pharma firms to compete in the world’s largest HCV drug market.

Delinking drug approvals from price agreements, and providing timely and adequate reimbursement coverage, are just some of the policy changes top big pharma executives would like to see if China is to create an operating environment conducive to innovation.

2016 was again another busy year on the commercial front in China, with market changes, new regulations, and ongoing pricing pressures all affecting the pharma sector. Meanwhile, the push for licensing deals, innovation, and international expansion continued apace.