Chinese firms look to compete in domestic breast cancer market

As China seeks to increase its population size, another priority is to combat diseases prevalent in its population, such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative/hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HER2-/HR+ BC).

Foreign firms have historically dominated the HER2-/HR+ market in China. However, change is on the horizon as multiple domestic companies are developing late-stage products.

According to GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center, China accounts for 27% of the global HER2-/HR+ BC cases, with the number of incident cases by biomarker expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 3.36% from 381,844 in 2022 to 445,616 in 2028. Some argue that this is directly linked to China's aging population, with old age being a key risk factor for BC.