Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Industry Outlook, 2023

Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Industry Outlook, 2023

Asia-Pacific’s pharmaceutical market is forecast to record 4.2% growth from 2022 to 2027, with China and Japan dominating the market in terms of value. Generics dominate the regional markets based on volume, directly impacting innovator molecule uptake. Nevertheless, Asia-Pacific is establishing itself as a global innovation hub, with China, Japan, and Korea leading the space in overall innovative pipeline assets in the region. Compared to the United States and the European Union, Asia-Pacific has unique industry dynamics accompanied by a highly competitive landscape owing to its complex and diverse regulatory landscape and varying pharma industry infrastructures across each country, impacting innovation in each country.

However, the region excels in creative market access strategies alongside its robust portfolios and pipelines, innovative business models (e.g., in-licensing and out-licensing assets), effective stakeholder engagement, and aggressive go-to-market strategy. China and Japan stand out in market size as the world’s second and third-largest pharmaceutical markets, respectively, valued at $152.79 billion and $82.67 billion.

Japan, South Korea, and Australia are among the region’s developed markets. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) implemented 2 subsidy programs—Program for Promoting Investment in Japan to Strengthen Supply Chains and Program for Strengthening Supply Chains—in 2020 to assist Japanese companies in relocating production back to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.

India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia represent Asia-Pacific’s emerging countries. A growing population, significant R&D investments, a modernized manufacturing base, and the prevalence of chronic diseases fuel growth in these countries.

While the region shows a growing focus on innovative therapies, including advanced CGTs and mRNAs, generic drugs account for more than 45% of the share in terms of value. Market-friendly regulations such as the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs, the Consumer Act of the Philippines (labeling and packaging requirements), the Cheaper Medicines Act (drug price regulation), the recent overhaul of Universal Health Coverage, and easing of the drugs’ registration process will be key growth drivers.

Public procurement inefficiencies cause supply-side issues and drive higher pharmaceutical product prices in the Philippines compared to other ASEAN countries. Generic drugs make up a larger market share than original drugs in terms of license type.

When it comes to innovator therapies, China is emerging as a biopharma innovation hub, followed by Japan and South Korea, with significantly robust therapy pipelines. Local governments adopt initiatives to support local innovators and introduce new regulations to facilitate quicker access to market and streamline the innovator therapy market in the region. China and India continue their dominance in global API production by forging strategic partnerships with global and local pharma manufacturers for small and large molecule API and KSM supply, supporting regional pharma production and consumption.

Despite a slowdown in crucial markets, such as China and Japan, Asia-Pacific shows tremendous promise in the next 3 to 5 years, surpassing global growth rates.


  • Analysis Highlights
    • Key Market Highlights
    • Top Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Industry Predictions for 2023
  • Strategic Imperatives
    • Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow?
    • The Strategic Imperative 8™
    • The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Industry
    • Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine™
  • Growth Environment
    • Market Segmentation
    • Key Market Themes
    • Growth Environment
    • Key Trend 1: Precision Medicine
    • Key Trend 2: Digitization in Health and Pharma
    • Key Trend 3: Patient-centric Care
    • Key Trend 4: Anti-microbial Resistance (AMR)
  • Macroeconomic Factors
    • Top 5 Global Economic Highlights of 2023
    • Global GDP Growth Snapshot
    • Advanced Economy Predictions for 2023
    • Emerging Market Economy Predictions for 2023
    • 2023 Regional Risks and Policy Direction
    • Inflation: Impact Analysis
    • Sustainability Initiatives: Impact Analysis
    • Supply Chain Disruptions: Impact Analysis
  • Revenue Trends
    • Revenue Forecast by Country
      • Table Pharmaceutical Industry: Revenue Forecast by Country, Asia-Pacific, 2022 and 2023
  • Market Snapshot, 2022
    • Revenue Forecast by Segments: Innovators vs Generics
      • Table Pharmaceutical Industry: Revenue Forecast by Segments, Asia-Pacific, 20222027
    • 2022 Market Snapshot: Innovators
    • 2022 Market Snapshot: Generics
    • Market Snapshot: Companies to Watch
  • Asia-Pacific Pharma Predictions, 2023
    • Prediction 1: Driven by Emerging Southeast Asian Markets, Asia-Pacific will Dominate Clinical Trial Outsourcing with >16% Growth in 2023
    • Prediction 2: Small to Mid-segment Pharma Investments in Japan and >30 Korean Biopharma Setups in the United States are Expected to Spur Advanced Therapy Pipelines
    • Prediction 3: Domestic Emerging Biopharma Companies are Forecast to Contribute to >85% of the Total Clinical Pipelines in China in 2023
    • Prediction 4: API Unicorns to Rise in India Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes Attracting an Estimated $60 Million+ Investments in 2023
    • Prediction 5: Despite Layoffs, Demand for Pharma IT Workforce to Account for Over 5% of the Total Pharma Workforce in Asia-Pacific in 2023
  • Country-specific Trends, 2023
    • India Snapshot
    • China Snapshot
    • Japan Snapshot
    • South Korea Snapshot
    • Australia Snapshot
    • Rest of Southeast Asia Snapshot
  • Growth Opportunity Universe
    • Growth Opportunity 1: Capability Expansion for Continuous Manufacturing in Asia-Pacific
    • Growth Opportunity 2: Agile Partnership Models for Drug Discovery and Preclinical Drug Testing Services
    • Growth Opportunity 3: Collaborations and R&D Investment in CGTs
  • Conclusions
    • Key Conclusion
  • Next Steps
    • Your Next Steps
    • Why Frost, Why Now?

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