China's R&D and Patent Surge Is a Warning Sign for U.S. Biopharma Leadership

America's global pharmaceutical edge is not as secure as many might think, and the data makes that increasingly clear. 

America's innovation ecosystem relies on robust policy that supports the full drug development process – from intellectual property and investment to research, development, and manufacturing. 

According to a recent report by the American Action Forum, China has surpassed the United States as the world's largest funder of R&D when measured on an internationally comparable basis. While the U.S. continues to lead biopharma R&D investment, accounting for 54% of the global total, China is rapidly closing the gap – its share of global biopharma R&D quadrupled between 2014 and 2024. 

Data from the World Intellectual Property Organization reinforces this concern. In 2024, China's intellectual property office received 1.8 million patent applications, compared to only around 600,000 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 

Taken together, these trends in patents, research and development signal that the future of America's life-saving cures, and the global edge that underpins our national security, may be at risk. 

We Work For Health continues to closely monitor China's rise in biopharma as a growing threat to U.S. competitiveness. Learn more about the competitive threat from China here: 

• New Study: China Biopharma Gains Global Ground 

• New Reports Examine America’s China Biopharma Threat 

• Report: China Biopharma Closing Gap on U.S. ‘Far Faster Than Anticipated’