Our website is made possible by displaying non-intrusive online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling or pausing your ad blocker.
It’s not just AI. China’s medicines are surprising the world, too
Its firms are at the forefront of cheaper, faster drug discovery
Keytruda, a cancer medicine, ranks among the most lucrative drugs ever sold. Since its launch in 2014 it has raked in more than $130bn in sales for Merck, its American maker, including $29.5bn last year. In September last year an experimental drug did what none had done before. In late-stage trials for non-small cell lung cancer, it nearly doubled the time patients lived without the disease getting worse—to 11.1 months, compared with 5.8 months for Keytruda.
The results were stunning. So too was the nationality of the biotech company behind them. Akeso is Chinese.
In recent months China’s progress in artificial intelligence has stunned the world. A quieter yet equally significant shift is under way in biotech. China has long been known for churning out generic drugs, supplying raw ingredients and managing clinical trials for the pharmaceutical world. But its drugmakers are now also at the cutting edge, producing innovative medicines that are cheaper than the ones they compete with. China has become the second-largest developer of new drugs, behind only America (see chart 1).
As a consequence, Western drugmakers are increasingly looking east for ideas. Because of expiring drug patents, they stand to lose as much as $140bn a year in sales by 2030. Last year nearly a third of the large licensing deals they struck—those worth $50m or more—were with Chinese firms, triple the share of 2020. lek, a consultancy, estimates that during that time, the total value of drugs licensed worldwide from China rose 15-fold, to $48bn (see chart 2). In November Merck paid $588m to LaNova Medicines, another Chinese biotech firm, to secure rights to a therapy similar to that produced by Akeso.
In the year 2025, it is projected that the revenue in the OTC Products market in Malaysia will reach US$2.65bn.
This market is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2029) of 6.75%, resulting in a market volume of US$3.45bn by 2029.
Compared to other countries Worldwide, it is worth noting that China will generate the highest revenue in the OTC Products market, with an estimated amount of US$79.99bn in 2025.
More than 11,000 US products imported into Malaysia will face zero or reduced tariffs starting Aug 8, announced Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Most importantly, our key competitors (e.g. Vietnam, Thailand) for the US market also experience similar tariff level. No one has an advantage over the other. We're also not competing against US local producers. For example, US doesn't make cheap furniture, with or without the tariff barriers. So the competitive landscape in the US remains largely unchanged for Malaysia.
The 19% tariff will be mostly borne by US importers and/or US consumers. Malaysia exporters with single digit profit margin could not foot the bill without going out of business! Effectively the tariff is a consumption tax on US companies and citizens.
As for Malaysia slashing tariff for US goods, anyway the starting point is already low at about 5%. Slashing to zero/ almost zero probably doesn't make much of a difference for most products anyway. Except some sensitive sectors, like cars as you mentioned. But we have yet to know the details.
The semiconductor sector is currently exempted pending Trump's sectorial tariff decision. That will have a greater impact on Malaysia. But any high tariff is going to hurt the US companies producing in Malaysia, like Texas Instrument, Intel etc, These companies will lobby Trump to protect their own interest.
U are explaining my first point: above 90%, mean forcethe remaining to accept the deal. I didnt see u counter any of my point. Which part is mistaken? If u mean the second part: where share bought less than 90% but more than 75%: u may check bursa requirememt for public listed co to have a minimum of 25% public spread
谢谢你的解释，是我理解得不够深入。我能不能请教你多一个问题？“Becuz now more than 50% has agreed to sell, the offer has became unconditional. ”这句是什么意思？你说的50%是整个公司的50%股权吗？在哪里有写这个？拿到50%股权，offer就unconditional是什么意思？新加坡财团自己给自己设立的条件对吗？不是法律设给他们的条件对吗？
Scenario 1: less than 50% of total share not already owned by the consortium. Outcome: even ppl who accept the rm2.64, the money wont be paid to them, because the condition is to pass 50% of share not ady owned by the consortium. Take note: the share owned by APHSB 39.58% and WHSP 29.50% are the shares not yet owned by the consortium. Since these 2 ady agreed to sell, to scenario 1 is not possible, it will become scenario 2 or 3
Scenario 2: >75% but less than 90%. APHSB and WHSP have agreed to sell. The condition is fullfilled (>50%) and will become unconditional. Meaning those who accepted rm2.64 will sold their share EVEN if 90 % not reached. But becuz the public spread is now less than 25%. Bursa very likely will ask co to be delisted. Those who have rejected will face w 2 options: to accept the asking price or become shareholder of a private co
In scenario 1: the condition of surpassing 50% is not fullfilled therefore, it cant become unconditional. Ppl who have agreed to sell will not be able to sell. Howver this scenario is very unlikely given APHSB and WHSP have agreed to sell, these 2 add up ady more than 50%
Augustine: can read the latest news: Apex healthcase offer may turn unconditional. The author has excluded WHSP (29%). WHSP has agreed (in writing) to sell