It’s not just AI. China’s medicines are surprising the world, too

Keytruda, a cancer medicine, ranks among the most lucrative drugs ever sold. Since its launch in 2014 it has raked in more than $130bn in sales for Merck, its American maker, including $29.5bn last year. In September last year an experimental drug did what none had done before. In late-stage trials for non-small cell lung cancer, it nearly doubled the time patients lived without the disease getting worse—to 11.1 months, compared with 5.8 months for Keytruda.