Frost & Sullivan, a globally recognized growth consulting firm, recently unveiled the "China RADIOPharma Industry Current State and Future Development Blueprint." This detailed report offers an in-depth analysis of the Chinese nuclear medicine industry's infrastructure and growth dynamics. It highlights technological advancements, pipeline development, supportive governmental policies, market expansion, and investor interest to illustrate the sector's technological evolution and pathways. Among the spotlighted entities, RADIOPharma emerges as a notable example within the Blueprint. This innovative company, fostered by Baheal Pharma Group's investment, has earned its place through its sophisticated approach to nuclear medicine diagnostics and treatment, garnering international acclaim for its research efforts.

Radio Pharma Sector Sees Robust Growth as China Champions Integrated Pharma-Device Approach

Radiopharmaceuticals, a specialized class of drugs containing radioactive isotopes for clinical diagnosis and treatment, have been highlighted as progressively flourishing in China’s pharmaceutical landscape. As detailed in the recently published industry blueprint, China's foray into radiopharmaceuticals commenced in the 1950s and has since navigated through phases of exploration, growth, and refinement. In recent years, catalyzed by supportive government policies, technological advancements, and burgeoning market demand, the sector has witnessed a rapid development trajectory with a promising market outlook.

Data from Frost & Sullivan indicates that China’s market for radiopharmaceutical imaging and therapeutic drugs surged from CNY 2.2 billion in 2017 to CNY 3 billion in 2021, with projections suggesting a rise to CNY 26 billion by 2030, complemented by an impressive compound annual growth rate of 22.7% from 2025 to 2030. Although nuclear medicine holds competitive advantages in integrated disease diagnosis and treatment, the blueprint also underscores the need to overcome challenges including a dearth of indigenous innovation, slow progress in drug development, and low penetration of nuclear medicine practices. These challenges point to a long journey ahead in both the autonomous drug development and the enhancement of necessary equipment infrastructure.

Amidst rapid advancements in the nuclear medicine sector, an analysis highlights a concerning trend of homogenization in product pipelines. To achieve groundbreaking "zero to one" innovations within China's nuclear pharmaceutics, a collaborative effort is essential. This includes reinforcing infrastructure, bolstering talent cultivation, and enhancing basic research partnerships to circumvent the homogenization and patent risks that accompany an overheated industry.

With years of dedicated research in the field of nuclear medicine, Chinese innovation enterprise RADIOPharma has achieved a seminal breakthrough. RADIOPharma's self-developed 99mTc-3PRGD2—a novel specific SPECT/CT tumor imaging agent—stands as China's first-ever class 1 innovative pharmaceutical in nuclear medicine, and the world's first spectrum tumor imaging agent for SPECT diagnosis. This marks a significant shift in SPECT/CT imaging technology, transcending its previous limitations in tumor diagnostics, staging, and therapeutic evaluation. Head-to-head studies versus 18F-FDG PET/CT indicate that 99mTc-3PRGD2 is on par in distinguishing benign from malignant pulmonary lesions, and surpasses 18F-FDG PET/CT in specificity and accuracy for the diagnosis of pulmonary tumor lymph node metastasis.

Beyond the development of internationally recognized proprietary radiopharmaceuticals, RadioPharma leverages its leading patented technologies in high-end medical imaging devices to independently develop highly sensitive nuclear medicine SPECT/CT systems. RadioPharma is dedicated to driving equipment innovation through pharmaceutical breakthroughs, establishing a "unified medication-device" paradigm in nuclear medicine diagnostics and treatment. This integrated approach strives to deliver safer, more cost-effective, and efficient nuclear medical products and services to society at large.

Baheal Pharma Bolsters Investment to Fulfill Rising Clinical Needs in the Nuclear Medicine Sector

Nuclear medicine, known for its distinctive advantage of integrating diagnosis and treatment, plays a vital role not only in optimizing the medical landscape but also serves as a crucial innovation breakthrough point for solving intricate technological challenges and achieving domestic substitution in medicine. In line with its mission to "utilize scientific innovation to enhance medical scenarios," Baheal Pharma strategically invested in RadioPharma in 2022, to comprehensively lay out the innovation incubation and commercialization of original pharmaceutical and medical device products within the nuclear medicine sector.

In terms of innovation incubation, Baheal has been collaborating closely with institutions like Peking University, excavating "original innovations" in nuclear medicine. With a robust innovation system in place, Baheal, as an industrial investor, provides an array of resources including funding, clinical medical services, patent and registration support, and promotes the strengthening and complementing of the nuclear medicine industry chain. Partnering with RadioPharma, they are deploying advanced medical imaging equipment research and development as well as nuclear medicine molecular probe technology platforms, thereby completing the loop from nuclear pharmaceutical research to production.

Regarding product commercialization, Baheal 's listed subsidiary, Baheal Pharma (301015.SZ), has secured exclusive commercial rights in cooperation with RadioPharma. These rights include a portfolio of Radiopharma's radioactive pharmaceuticals such as 99mTc-3PRGD2, 99mTc-HP-Ark2, 99mTc-POFAP, as well as SPECT imaging equipment, leveraging outstanding commercialization capabilities to transform innovative achievements into value.

Baheal’s comprehensive industry deployment in the field of nuclear medicine stems from a deep understanding and insight into the medical landscape as an industrial investor. Currently, within Baheal's ecosystem of innovation, there are several pioneering fields, including full magnetic suspension artificial hearts, medical linear accelerators, medical electromagnetic positioning navigation systems, innovative drugs for tumor and bone regeneration, early screening for serious diseases, and in vitro diagnostics. An increasing number of health products with Chinese original intellectual property rights and clinical application value continue to emerge.

Looking ahead, Baheal Pharma reaffirms its dedication to transforming healthcare through technological innovation. The company is poised to address the clinical needs that have yet to be met and to achieve essential advancements in key technologies. In collaboration with top-tier national talent, Baheal Pharma is set to drive groundbreaking innovations. United in purpose, they aim to develop a diverse array of advanced medical discoveries, persistently striving to enhance human health and wellness.