Plagued by a scandal which gained global attention a few years go, the gene therapy sector has recovered and is now thriving in China. But a drive for innovation, combined with ready cash for aspiring start-ups, may not translate into leaps and bounds in the field due to challenges unique to these latest treatments, including manufacturing, durability and coverage.

The rate at which investigational drugs were accepted onto the European Medicines Agency’s priority medicines scheme dropped in 2021. Meanwhile, more much-needed treatments that had been developed under the scheme went on to win EU marketing approval.

J&J partner Nanjing Legend and UniCAR developer CARsgen also race for the first China approval for BCMA targeting CAR-T therapy.

The approval of China's second CAR-T therapy has come amid reimbursement challenges, despite the pricing of its direct competitor being much lower than in the US. Chinese developers are pinning their hopes on rapid domestic market expansion via commercial insurance tie-ups as other CAR-Ts move through local development.