The pros and cons of Chinese biotech

Thanks to a years-long effort to bring talented expatriates back home, U.S.-trained, Chinese-born scientists face a fascinating choice: Risk career stagnation in this country’s booming biotech sector, or take a chance on the nascent industry in China still feeling out its potential.

STAT’s Diana Cai interviewed scientists in both countries about the changing incentives in the life sciences. In the U.S., scientists said, biopharma companies offer a chance to work on cutting-edge science that translates to new treatments. But American corporate culture is one of constant merging, acquiring, and upheaval, making it hard to build a career without anxiety over layoffs.

That’s not a problem in Chinese biopharma, where growth is rampant, they said. However, the country’s drug companies have generally been more focused on quick paths to revenue rather than bold investments in science, something repatriated scientists said they’re working to change.

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