Breaking the monopoly

Leading general medical journal The Lancet published the results of research conducted on the effectiveness of Conmana in August 2013, writing that it had "launched a new era of China's research on anti-cancer drugs," and that Conmana was "a milestone in international clinical cancer therapy." As the first molecular targeted anti-cancer drug developed in Asia, the new drug has been praised for breaking the monopoly foreign companies had over this market in China.

About 60 percent of the drugs sold in China's domestic medical market are produced by foreign businesses. Before Conmana, only two targeted anti-cancer drugs were available in China. These were Gefitinat and Erlonat, which cost patients 16,500 yuan ($2,689) and 19,800 yuan per month respectively.

Conmana is comparatively cheaper, costing patients a maximum of 11,800 yuan per month, reports said.