New Quality Productive Forces Empowering Innovation in China’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry: Pathways toward High-Quality Development

Han Li; Ziyue Jin; Ronghe Liu; Yueting Dong; Dicheng Wang

doi:10.62177/apemr.v3i1.1046

Authors

Han Li Gachon University
Ziyue Jin Shenyang Ligong University
Ronghe Liu Dalian University of Finance and Economics
Yueting Dong Tiexi District Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Dicheng Wang Gachon University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/apemr.v3i1.1046

Keywords:

New-Quality Productive Forces, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Innovation Performance, Technological Stability, Technological Diversification

Abstract

This study examines the impact of new-quality productive forces (NQPF) on the innovation performance of China’s pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises and explores its internal mechanisms. Using panel data of A-share listed pharmaceutical firms from 2015 to 2023, a fixed-effects model is constructed, with instrumental variable (IV) and system GMM estimations applied to address endogeneity. The empirical results show that NQPF significantly enhance firms’ innovation performance, and the findings remain robust under multiple model specifications. Mechanism analysis further reveals that NQPF promote innovation both directly and indirectly by improving technological stability and technological diversification. These results indicate that NQPF strengthen the depth of technological accumulation while expanding the breadth of innovation exploration. From a policy perspective, fostering NQPF should be prioritized to upgrade China’s pharmaceutical industry. Governments should enhance innovation policy frameworks and digital infrastructure, while firms should advance intelligent transformation and data-driven innovation management to achieve high-quality and sustainable development.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Wang, S., & Chen, Y. (2021). How technological innovation affect China’s pharmaceutical smart manufacturing industrial upgrading. Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2021(1), 3342153. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/3342153

Lai, H., Shi, H., & Zhou, Y. (2020). Regional technology gap and innovation efficiency trap in Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. PloS one, 15(5), e0233093. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233093

Guan, X., Chen, L., Xia, Q., & Qin, Z. (2022). Innovation efficiency of Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry from the perspective of innovation ecosystem. Sustainability, 14(20), 12993. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142012993

Tang, J. (2024). New Quality Productivity and China's Strategic Shift Towards Sustainable and Innovation-Driven Economic Development. Journal of Interdisciplinary Insights, 2(3), 36-45. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13845756

Zhu, W., Ouyang, P., & Kong, M. (2024). Research on the evolution mechanism of intelligent manufacturing transformation of Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises based on system dynamics. Heliyon, 10(13). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33959

Yin, S., Zhang, N., Ullah, K., & Gao, S. (2022). Enhancing digital innovation for the sustainable transformation of manufacturing industry: a pressure-state-response system framework to perceptions of digital green innovation and its performance for green and intelligent manufacturing. Systems, 10(3), 72. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10030072

Zhang, G., Gao, Y., & Li, G. (2023). Research on digital transformation and green technology innovation—evidence from China’s listed manufacturing enterprises. Sustainability, 15(8), 6425. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086425

Xu, M., Liu, X., & Li, O. (2024). Can intelligent manufacturing drive green development in China's pharmaceutical industry?--Evidence from listed enterprises. Energy, 308, 132953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.132953

Li, Z., Guo, L., & Ping, Y. (2024). Revolutionizing pharmaceutical innovation: Unveiling the impact of endogenous knowledge spillover in China. PloS one, 19(9), e0307171. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307171

Yin, S., Wang, Y., & Xu, J. (2022). Developing a conceptual partner matching framework for digital green innovation of agricultural high-end equipment manufacturing system toward agriculture 5.0: A Novel Niche Field Model Combined With Fuzzy VIKOR. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 924109. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924109

Miozza, M., Brunetta, F., & Appio, F. P. (2024). Digital transformation of the Pharmaceutical Industry: A future research agenda for management studies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 207, 123580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123580

Obradović, T., Vlačić, B., & Dabić, M. (2021). Open innovation in the manufacturing industry: A review and research agenda. Technovation, 102, 102221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102221

Fitzgerald, L., Niarchou, E., Jones, I., & Naughton, B. (2026). Emerging Digital Innovations in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Quality: A Systematised Review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation, 21(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12247-025-10272-5

Zhang, B., Dong, W., & Yao, J. (2025). The Digital Transformation of the Manufacturing Industry, the Double-Factor Allocation Efficiency of the Manufacturing Industry, and Carbon Emissions: Evidence from China. Sustainability, 17(14), 6564. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146564

Ghobakhloo, M., Mahdiraji, H. A., Iranmanesh, M., & Jafari-Sadeghi, V. (2024). From Industry 4.0 digital manufacturing to Industry 5.0 digital society: A roadmap toward human-centric, sustainable, and resilient production. Information Systems Frontiers, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10476-z

Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K., Süle, E., Hassoun, A., & Keogh, J. G. (2025). Knowledge flows in industry 4.0 research: a longitudinal and dynamic analysis. Journal of Data, Information and Management, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42488-025-00146-3

Vărzaru, A. A., & Bocean, C. G. (2024). Digital transformation and innovation: The influence of digital technologies on turnover from innovation activities and types of innovation. Systems, 12(9), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12090359

Harikannan, N., & Vinodh, S. (2025). State of art review on sustainable manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Business Strategy and the Environment, 34(1), 872-913. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.4013

Song, J.; Zhang, J.; & Pan, Y. (2024). The impact of ESG development on enterprises’ new quality productive forces: Empirical evidence from China’s A-share listed companies. Contemporary Economic Management, 46(6), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.13253/j.cnki.ddjjgl.2024.06.001

Lu, J.; Guo, Z.; & Wang, Y. (2024). The Development Level, Regional Differences, and Improvement Paths of New Quality Productive Forces. Journal of Chongqing University (Social Sciences Edition), 30(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.11835/j.issn.1008-5831.jg.2024.03.002I