Observation on China's Performance in the Global Supply Chain of COVID-19 Medicine

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China has made progress in the research and development (R&D) of COVID-19 drugs and vaccines and has participated in the global supply chain. In terms of therapeutic drugs, the vast majority of the Chinese domestic market had been occupied by foreign drugs. Chinese self-developed drugs have been gradually expanding their domestic market share, but they have not yet emerged in overseas markets. In terms of vaccines, the inactivated vaccine developed in China had a large global market share, and the nasal spray adenovirus vaccine developed there was unique. The mRNA vaccine developed in China, however, has not yet achieved significant scale. In the future, China's pattern in the COVID-19 medicine supply chain will change, and its share in the international market should also expand. The COVID-19 pandemic has entered its fourth year. Countries carried out drug and vaccine R&D, and gradually built a medicine supply chain to respond to the public health crisis. In the supply chain, there was a need for both cooperation and competition among countries. China is a populous country with a very large medicine market. China has had a strong pharmaceutical production capacity and a certain scale in drug R&D. In the supply chain of COVID-19 medicine, China's current role and future situation are therefore worth analyzing.