Recently, the U.S. magazine Pharm Exec released its 2026 Pharm Exec Top 50 Companies, with Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (SBP Group, 1177.HK) making the list for the 8th consecutive year. Driven by industry-leading R&D investment, continuously growing revenue from innovative drugs, and explosive breakthroughs in out-licensing, SBP Group is undergoing an ecological transformation driven by source innovation, global two-way Business Development (BD), and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered revolution in quality and efficiency, ensuring strong and certain long-term growth momentum.

This year marks the 26th edition of Pharm Exec’s Top 50 Companies. The list not only reflects the prescription drug revenue of major pharmaceutical companies but also serves as a "roadmap" for their product portfolio quality, market growth potential, and strategies for navigating industry changes and future development. This year, a total of 6 Chinese pharmaceutical companies made the list. With a surge in innovative achievements and deepening international cooperation, China's pharmaceutical industry is playing an increasingly important role in the global innovation landscape.

Innovation Turning into Growth

Focusing on unmet clinical needs, SBP Group continues to enhance its innovative R&D system, concentrating on key therapeutic areas such as tumor, liver diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory and autoimmune diseases, surgery, and analgesia, accelerating the transition of innovative achievements from the R&D pipeline to clinical practice and the market.

The 2026 interim results showed that SBP Group achieved a revenue of 19.44 billion yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 10.6%; revenue from innovative drugs and out-licensing totaled 8.79 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.3%. To date, the company has received marketing approval for a total of 20 innovative drugs and has secured 2 major out-licensing deals within 6 months, achieving a total transaction value of approximately 3.5 billion US dollars. As innovative products continue to ramp up in volume and out-licensing contributes to scalable revenue, the company's revenue structure is further shifting towards being innovation-driven. The innovation business has become a key force driving performance growth and optimizing the profitability structure.

From 2026 to 2030, it is expected that 30 innovative drugs will be approved for marketing, supported by a pipeline of more than 100 innovative programs advancing across different stages. This is expected to create greater opportunities for future revenue growth and global partnerships.

All in AI and Two-Way Internalization

Currently, AI is reshaping the global pharmaceutical R&D model. SBP Group is firmly committed to "All in AI," comprehensively advancing its digital strategy, and extending AI from a single-point R&D tool to all stages, including drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

Over the past 3 years, the Group has invested approximately 600 million yuan in the field of AI-powered drug development. On the R&D side, AI-assisted drug development has covered 6 major technology platforms: small molecules, Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), siRNA, OAPD®, molecular glues, and TME, and is applied to key processes such as target screening, molecular design, and drug candidate optimization. On the production side, by empowering key processes such as process optimization with AI, the yield of PD-L1 antibodies has increased by more than 20%, and the manufacturing cost of biologics has been reduced by 20%. For SBP Group, which possesses a vast pipeline of innovative drugs under development, AI is helping to allocate R&D investment more precisely to high-value projects and is accelerating the entry of more innovative achievements into clinical and industrialization stages.

Meanwhile, the global value of China's innovative assets is also being unlocked at an accelerated pace. Pharm Exec points out that in recent years, China's biopharmaceutical innovation capabilities have continuously improved, and the attractiveness of Chinese innovative assets in cross-border collaborations has been growing. Large multinational pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their investment in Chinese innovations through licensing deals, strategic investments, and other means.

Facing the rapid changes in the global pharmaceutical innovation landscape, SBP Group is actively promoting a two-way BD model that combines "in-licensing" and "out-licensing," continuously connecting with high-quality global innovation resources to build a more open and efficient innovation system. With the official launch of the global brand "SBP Group", SBP Group is further strengthening its global development positioning, transitioning from a leading innovative pharmaceutical company in China to a globally leading one "rooted in science, driven by breakthrough innovation, and aimed at benefiting patients worldwide."

Being selected for Pharm Exec's Top 50 Companies for 8 consecutive years reflects the continuous enhancement of SBP Group's comprehensive strength and international influence. In the future, the company will continue to collaborate with global partners to promote Chinese innovation worldwide and integrate global innovation into China, explore cutting-edge technologies, and accelerate the transition of innovative achievements from the laboratory to the clinic, allowing more innovative therapies to benefit patients globally.