According to a Decision Resources report, the Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; the most prevalent type of primary liver cancer) market will quadruple between 2006 and 2011. The report also finds that the small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors will dominate the Chinese HCC market through 2011 because of the superior efficacy and safety profiles of these agents.

The findings were a part of an emerging markets study entitled Liver Cancer in China. Both financial and medical specialists for Decision Resources forecast that the growth in this industry in China will be fueled by increasing access to medical care, increased sales of existing therapies, and the introduction of novel targeted agents.

Victor Li, Ph.D., analyst at Decision Resources says, "More than 50% of liver cancer cases worldwide occur in China, because of the pandemic status of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in this country." Li continues by saying, "Therapies with superior efficacy and fewer side effects, such as Bayer's Nexavar, will enjoy great commercial success in China's liver cancer market."

Chinese manufactured targeted biologics are another group of agents that will register significant growth over the 2006-2011 period and compete with Western manufactured targeted agents.

However, 44% of Chinese physicians surveyed believe that high drug prices are one of the main hindrances that limit the effective management of HCC. Apparently Western branded medicines and treatment protocols are at such a high cost that patient compliance and persistence is affected thereby creating a negative patient prognosis.