From Free Rider to Innovator: The Rise of China's Drug Development | NBER

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From Free Rider to Innovator: The Rise of China's Drug Development | NBER Skip to main content From Free Rider to Innovator: The Rise of China's Drug Development Panle Jia Barwick , Hongyuan Xia & Tianli Xia Share X LinkedIn Facebook Bluesky Threads Email Link Working Paper 34977 DOI 10.3386/w34977 Issue Date March 2026 This paper examines China’s transition from pharmaceutical “free rider” to global innovator over the last decade. In 2010, China accounted for less than 8% of global clinical trials; by 2020, it had surpassed the US in annual registered clinical trial volume. To study

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