A quarter featuring multiple eye-popping deals is no longer unusual for China’s pharmaceutical industry – in fact, it may soon be considered a slow season.

In recent months, companies including CSPC Pharmaceutical and RemeGen have struck out-licensing agreements worth up to US$18.5 billion and US$5.6 billion respectively, while Haisco Pharmaceutical Group has added two of its own — most recently a deal worth up to US$745 million.

Under the terms of the deal, the Beijing-based Haisco granted US pharmaceutical giant AbbVie the rights to develop, manufacture and sell a portfolio of home-grown pain drug molecules outside China, as global drug makers race to replenish pipelines ahead of a looming patent cliff.

The burst of deal making signals a shift in how Chinese biotech firms are positioning themselves in the global drug industry – moving beyond low-cost manufacturing into higher-value innovation.

With artificial intelligence also reshaping drug discovery and development, that shift may be hitting a new gear, raising a bigger question about how quickly China could climb to the global industry’s top tier.

“China is already a large player in the global drug value chain, and its role could become larger over the next three to five years,” said Tony Ren, head of Asia Healthcare Research at Macquarie Capital, whose team covers about 30 healthcare stocks in Hong Kong, China and Japan.

According to Macquarie Capital and McKinsey, the pharmaceutical value chain can be grouped into four main stages: research and development (R&D), clinical trials, manufacturing and commercialisation.