US Cancer Patients Travel to China for Unapproved Cutting-Edge Drugs
KFF Health News reports that American patients, unable to access experimental Chinese-developed cancer drugs before FDA approval, are traveling to China or arranging informal imports to obtain them. One case involves sunvozertinib, a lung cancer drug made by Shanghai-based Dizal Pharmaceutical that the FDA approved in July 2025 but had not yet brought to market as of October 2026; at least 30 Americans reportedly sought it through informal channels or travel to China. The story also covers China's rapid rise as a global biotech leader, now involved in nearly half of new drugs tested worldwide, and the resulting political backlash in Washington, including legislation to require Treasury review of U.S.-China pharma deals and an FDA initiative (Operation TrialBlazer) to speed domestic trials and approvals.