How Chinese drug makers are tackling Western dominance in US$16 billion Parkinson’s race
Chinese biomedical companies deploying cutting-edge technologies are emerging as serious competitors to Western dominance in the race to treat Parkinson's disease, in a market that could reach US$16 billion over the next decade.
The firms are developing a range of approaches - from autologous cell therapies made from a patient's own cells and ready-made cell products to gene therapies and non-invasive ultrasounds - although many of these candidates are still in early-stage trials.
Many patients with Parkinson's disease need to take levodopa - a drug first developed in the 1960s - and other medications that alleviate the symptoms but do not halt the disease's progression, and whose effectiveness diminishes over time, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association and a 2025 study by the Parkinson's Foundation.
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Now Chinese drug makers are making breakthroughs, clearing significant regulatory and clinical hurdles.
The latest example is Shanghai start-up UniXell Biotechnology, which received clinical trial approval in China in 2024 and the US in 2025 for UX‑DA001, an autologous stem cell therapy that uses a patient's own cells to replace the dopamine‑producing neurons destroyed by Parkinson's disease.
Founded in 2021, UniXell has raised more than 300 million yuan (US$44 million) from A and A-plus financing rounds that drew support from state-backed funds, venture capital and pharmaceutical investor Tasly Pharmaceutical, the company announced in February.
Taking a different approach is Xellsmart Biopharmaceutical, with offices in Suzhou and Shanghai, which is developing an allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapy. These treatments are manufactured in advance from donor cells and can be administered to any patient without the need for a customised preparation.
Its lead candidate, XS-411, an iPSC-derived dopaminergic neural progenitor cell therapy, received clinical trial approval in both China and the US in early 2025, according to the company's website.
Xellsmart raised 500 million yuan in combined series C and C-plus funding, drawing investors including China Reform Venture Capital Fund and Suzhou Industrial Investment Social Security Fund, the company said in an April 2 statement.
Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology has developed a third-generation ultrasound device that can treat brain diseases - such as Parkinson's - minimising the risks associated with invasive brain surgery.
The future of treating brain diseases could lie in non-invasive technologies, said Jill Shen, board secretary of Chongqing Haifu Medical Technology. "The brain is very different, once you cut it open, it has a big impact on the entire brain. That is why many neurological diseases currently have no treatment options."
Haifu Medical said its technology achieves sub-millimetre precision in deep brain regions.
Founded in 1999, the firm was among the companies recruited by Hong Kong's Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises and set up an office at Hong Kong Science Park last year.
In gene therapy, Shanghai Vitalgen BioPharma Co and Belief BioMed are running phase one trials in China for novel adeno-associated virus-based treatment to restore dopamine production.
North America dominated the Parkinson's disease treatment market with a revenue share of 38.03 per cent in 2024, according to Grand View Research.
BlueRock Therapeutics, a US-based cell therapy developer owned by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, dosed its first patient in a phase 3 trial last year.
More than 10 million people globally suffer from Parkinson's, a movement disorder that robs patients of basic motor control, leaving many unable to walk unaided, button a shirt or hold a cup without trembling, according to the World Health Organization and the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In severe cases, the disease prevents people from getting out of a chair without help.
The global market for Parkinson's disease drugs reached US$7.75 billion last year and is expected to nearly double to US$15.77 billion by 2034, Fortune Business Insights said in a March report.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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