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本期看点
全文共2138字,阅读时间约为5分钟。
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生物医药创新范式升级:从"快速跟随"到"同类最优"
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拜耳加速全球协作:打造跨国药企与本土创新力量深度耦合的生态系统
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体系与关系共建:双向流动加速知识传递,确保效率与严谨并存
全球生物医药行业正经历深刻变革。中国已迅速突破传统制造优势,成为全球最具活力的生物医药创新策源地之一:规模实力、工程化能力与科研卓越性在此交汇。这背后的逻辑清晰:疾病无国界,战胜疾病的创新亦应无界。数据印证了这一转变:全球临床阶段生物医药资产中,约30%源自中国生物科技企业,而十年前这一比例仅为4%。
对跨国药企而言,中国已从下游商业化市场转变为上游创新源头,成为下一代药物研发的发射台与加速器。
对拥有140年中国积淀的拜耳而言,这一转变意味着全新的机遇。目标在于系统化整合中国创新力至拜耳全球研发管线,加速从实验室到患者的转化路径。
“全球生物医药行业在2020年前后迎来转折点,”拜耳中国区总裁周晓兰表示,“如今,中国创新凭借世界领先的工程化能力竞逐‘同类最优’,依托无与伦比的成本效益与研发临床引擎的速度优势开创‘全球首创’。”
这一创新引擎可实现60天内完成临床试验审批,其动力源自深厚的科学人才储备、丰富的真实世界数据集,以及一批深耕人工智能的先锋生物科技企业所探索的新兴研发范式。
中国生物医药的崛起在定义未来的药物分子类型尤为显著:全球临床阶段双特异性抗体(BsAbs)和抗体偶联药物(ADCs)超半数来自中国;自2022年以来,中国研究者开发出约600个全球首创药物,几乎是此前四年总量的四倍。
“将中国的速度、工程化优势、AI驱动能力与丰富数据,与拜耳的疾病生物学专长及以患者为中心的理念相结合,我们不仅是在扩充管线,”拜耳Collaborate to Cure Hub中国中心负责人黄丹洁强调,“更是在为全球患者提升科学与实践的突破可能。”
战略蓝图:
构建开放创新生态
拜耳中国创新战略是全球研发的核心支柱,由跨职能团队专注推进两大目标:持续为全球管线注入高质量新资产,通过早期风险管控与加速开发周期提升研发效率。该战略融合系统化项目搜寻、战略据点优化及与中国生态的深度融合。
战略落地的关键一环是拜耳·亦庄开放创新中心——2025年11月于北京北京经济技术开发区国际医药创新公园启用。这不仅是物理空间,更是拜耳“在中国,为全球”理念的实践平台,汇聚产业界、学术界与创业者的智慧。共享办公空间与拜耳全球网络及治疗领域专长的无缝对接,使合作伙伴能够并肩攻克难题。通过将协作嵌入日常流程,该中心助力缩短周期、统一科学优先级并加速临床概念验证。
该中心与拜耳全球生命科学孵化网络Co.Lab协同增效——拜耳Co.Lab北京站点与波士顿、柏林、神户及上海站点联动,为入驻初创企业提供拜耳全球资源网络、科学家定制化指导及战略支持,加速其成长与管线进展。首批入驻企业映恩生物(新一代基因治疗与核酸递送平台)和浦合医药(新型小分子精准肿瘤药物)正是拜耳开放创新模式的典范:在中国发掘前沿科学,借力全球能力推进以满足未竟医疗需求。
协作文化:
从战略到患者获益
为主动捕获突破性科学,拜耳于2025年中启动“中国创新路演”,聚焦前沿科技。活动收到本土初创企业超120份高质量提案,彰显中国创新深度与全球合作潜力。六家优胜企业获得非股权资助及拜耳支持,包括孵化资金、科学家一对一辅导及全球合作网络接入。此举不仅拓宽项目源,更深化拜耳与顶尖科学家及生物科技企业家的联结,紧贴中国创新前沿。
项目筛选策略精准聚焦:拜耳团队优先关注中国生态优势显著的肿瘤与心肾疾病领域,以及平台能力与临床进展迅猛的ADC、双抗等先进疗法。评估维度涵盖临床差异化(全球首创或同类最优潜力)、生物标志物策略、CMC成熟度、全球注册路径与管线协同性。严格优先级管理确保优质资产获得快速跨境关注。
拜耳以开放姿态拥抱中国创新生态的战略,植根于深度参与。
“中国的生态已成为真正的研发发射台,”拜耳医药研发肿瘤领域战略与组合负责人Larissa Urbanus评价道,“我们感受到的创新意愿、极致速度与协作动能非同寻常。要成功,必须深度融入并共同创造。”
深度协作需体系与关系共建。拜耳中国创新团队正强化全球协作纽带——邀请欧美专家来华,同时推动中国合作伙伴与科学家赴海外拜耳中心交流。这种双向流动培育文化共情团队,加速知识传递,消弭时区与监管差异。清晰的治理架构、统一指标与整合型项目管理确保效率与严谨并存。
中国开放创新的价值不仅是资源获取,更是高质量加速。 早期介入中国发现与临床开发,可更快假设验证、更丰富数据(含真实世界证据)及关键决策的早期风险控制。结合拜耳全球开发与商业化能力,这一模式能压缩周期、优化资源配置、提升技术及注册成功率。最终构建更具韧性的管线,让变革性疗法更早惠及患者。
展望未来:
共塑医学未来
中国生物医药创新生态将定义未来十年医学图景。拜耳选择深度合作之路:依托拜耳·亦庄开放创新中心、Co.Lab等开放平台,联动生态伙伴,将发现融入全球研发引擎。目标始终如一:治疗不可治之症,治愈疾病,传递希望。通过融合中国速度与创造力,与拜耳百年转化医学积淀共振,公司不仅适应新现实,更参与定义未来。
展望未来,成功将取决于严谨执行:扎实尽调、审慎知识产权与注册策略、数据完整性保障与强效项目管理。亦需持续学习——贴近医患需求、倾听科学伙伴、随生态进化迭代协作模式。以此为基,下一波突破将同步抵达中国与全球患者。
“中国崛起正在重塑创新格局,”拜耳中国区总裁周晓兰表示,“对拜耳而言,这是共塑更创新、高效、真正以患者为中心未来的契机。我们将与合作伙伴并肩前行,快速行动,化繁为简,为中国乃至全球患者带来创新疗法。”
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Highlights
The full text is 510 words,
estimated reading time is 3 minutes.
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Evolution of biopharma innovation models: from "fast-follower" to "best-in-class" breakthroughs.
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Bayer's accelerates global collaboration: forging a synergistic ecosystem where multinational expertise meets local innovation prowess.
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Dual-track synergy: bidirectional talent flow accelerates knowledge transfer while maintaining operational rigor.
A profound shift is reshaping global biopharma. China has rapidly evolved beyond its manufacturing roots to become one of the world’s most dynamic sources of biomedical innovation—where scale, engineering rigor, and scientific excellence converge. The underlying principle is straightforward: disease knows no borders, and neither should the innovation required to defeat it. The statistics reflect this transformation. Roughly 30% of global clinical-stage biopharma assets now originate from Chinese biotech firms, up from just 4% a decade ago.
For multinational pharma, China has shifted from a downstream commercialization market to an upstream launchpad and accelerator for next-generation drug discovery.
For Bayer—building on a 140-year legacy in China—this shift presents a brand-new frontier. The goal is to systematically integrate China’s innovation capacity into Bayer’s global pipeline, accelerating the path from lab to patient.
“The global biopharma industry passed an inflection point around 2020,” says Xiaolan Zhou, President of Bayer China. “Today, China innovations compete for best-in-class by leveraging world-leading engineering capabilities, and for first-in-class by leveraging the unparalleled cost-effectiveness and speed of its research and clinical development engine.”
That engine now supports clinical trial approvals in as little as 60 days, and runs on deep scientific talent, rich real-world datasets, and a vibrant cohort of AI-native biotechs pioneering novel discovery approaches.
The surge of China biopharma is most pronounced in modalities defining the future of medicine: China accounts for more than half of the world’s clinical stage bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and since 2022 its researchers have developed approximately 600 first-in-class drug candidates—nearly four times the output of the preceding four-year period.
“By combining China’s speed, engineering excellence, AI-driven capabilities, and rich datasets with Bayer’s disease biology expertise and patient-centric focus, we don’t just add assets,” notes Betty Huang, Head of the Collaborate to Cure Hub-China at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. “We raise the scientific and operational bar for what’s possible for patients worldwide.”
The Strategic Blueprint:
Embedding Open Innovation
Bayer’s China Innovation Strategy is a core pillar of global R&D—executed by a dedicated, cross-functional team to deliver two outcomes: consistently replenish the global pipeline with high-quality, novel assets, and lift R&D productivity via early de-risking and faster development cycles. The approach combines systematic scouting, footprint optimization, and deep integration with China’s ecosystem.
A cornerstone of this footprint is Bayer’s E-Town Open Innovation Center, inaugurated in November 2025 at International BioPark in Yizhuang, Beijing. More than a physical site, it embodies Bayer’s “in China, for global” ethos—an open platform where industry, academia, and entrepreneurs collaborate. Shared offices, co-working spaces, and direct access to Bayer’s global network and therapeutic expertise enable side-by-side problem-solving with partners. By embedding collaboration into the daily workflow, the center helps compress timelines, align scientific priorities, and accelerate the route to clinical proof-of-concept.
The center is amplified by Bayer Co.Lab, Bayer’s global life-science incubator network, co-located with the Beijing Open Innovation Center and connected to sites in Boston, Berlin, Kobe, and Shanghai. Co.Lab Beijing provides resident startups with access to Bayer’s global resources and network, tailored mentorship from Bayer scientists and experts, and strategic guidance to accelerate growth and pipeline progress. The first two residents at Bayer’s E-Town center—Youngen (next-generation gene therapy and nucleic acid delivery platforms) and Puhe BioPharma (novel small-molecule precision oncology drugs)—exemplify Bayer’s open-innovation model: sourcing cutting-edge science in China and advancing it with our global capabilities to address unmet needs worldwide.
A Culture of Collaboration:
From Strategy to Patient Impact
To proactively source breakthrough science, Bayer launched the China Innovation Pitch in mid-2025, targeting cutting-edge innovations. Over 120 high-quality submissions from local startups were received, underscoring the depth of innovation ready for global collaboration. Six winners received non-dilutive grants and Bayer support—including incubation funding, tailored mentorship from Bayer scientists, and access to a global partner network. Beyond deal flow, the initiative deepens Bayer’s ties with leading scientists and biotech entrepreneurs, keeping Bayer closely aligned with China’s fast-moving innovation frontier.
The scouting strategy is equally deliberate. Bayer’s teams focus first on oncology and cardio-renal diseases—where China’s ecosystem is particularly strong—and on advanced modalities such as ADCs and bispecifics, where platform capabilities and clinical momentum are accelerating. Evaluation emphasizes clinical differentiation (first- or best-in-class potential), biomarker strategies, CMC readiness, global regulatory pathways, and portfolio fit. A disciplined prioritization process ensures that high-quality assets receive rapid, cross-border attention.
Bayer’s strategy to embrace the China innovation ecosystem with velocity and openess is powered by hands-on engagement.
“The China ecosystem has truly become an R&D launchpad,” observed Larissa Urbanus, Strategy & Portfolio Lead for Oncology at Bayer Pharmaceuticals R&D. “The willingness to innovate, the sheer speed, and the collaborative momentum we witnessed are exceptional. To succeed, we must deeply embed ourselves and co-create.”
Embedding collaboration means building systems as well as relationships. Bayer’s China Innovation team is strengthening connective tissue for seamless global teamwork—bringing experts from Europe and the U.S. to China while enabling Chinese partners and scientists to rotate through Bayer hubs abroad. This bidirectional exchange builds culturally aware teams, accelerates knowledge transfer, and reduces friction across time zones and regulatory environments. Clear governance, shared metrics, and integrated program management ensure momentum without sacrificing rigor.
The promise of open innovation in China is not just access—it is acceleration with quality. Early involvement in discovery and clinical development in China enables faster hypothesis testing, richer data capture (including real-world evidence), and earlier de-risking of pivotal decisions. When combined with Bayer’s global development and commercialization capabilities, this approach can compress timelines, optimize resource allocation, and increase the probability of technical and regulatory success. The result is a more resilient pipeline and a greater likelihood of delivering transformative therapies to patients sooner.
The Road Ahead:
Co-Creating the Future of Medicine
China’s biopharma innovation ecosystem will shape the next decade of medicine. Bayer’s path is deliberate partnership—leveraging open innovation platforms like the E-Town Center and Co.Lab, engaging the community, and integrating discoveries into a global R&D engine. The aim is unwavering: treat the untreatable, cure disease, and offer hope. By marrying China’s velocity and creativity with Bayer’s century-long translational medicine legacy, the company is not merely adapting to a new reality—it is helping define it.
Looking forward, success will depend on disciplined execution: robust due diligence, thoughtful IP and regulatory strategies, rigorous data integrity, and strong program management. It will also require continuous learning—staying close to patients and clinicians, listening to scientific partners, and iterating the collaboration model as the ecosystem evolves. With these foundations, the next wave of breakthroughs can reach patients in China and worldwide in parallel.
“China’s rise is reshaping the innovation landscape,” said Xiaolan Zhou, President of Bayer China. “For Bayer, this is an invitation to co-create a more innovative, efficient, and truly patient-focused future. We will do it side by side with our partners, move fast, keep it simple, and bring innovative therapies to patients in China and around the world.”
DE Perspectives is the business journal for members of the German Chamber of Commerce in China. With a readership of over 35,000, this free English-language magazine is published quarterly and features content from member companies and those with Sino-German expertise. Explore in-depth cover stories, features and op-eds on a range of economic, social, technological, environmental and governance topics.
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