China Asks Drugmakers, Hospitals to Find US Import Substitutes

China has asked some of its state-owned drugmakers to study how they can reduce reliance on the US for pharmaceutical products and raw materials, people familiar with the matter said, as Beijing prepares for a potential decoupling that threatens its medical supply.

Chinese drug regulator National Medical Products Administration conveyed the message to executives of state-owned drugmakers earlier this year, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the deliberations are private. The directive was to assess the feasibility of replacing US-made healthcare products.

The goods identified for potential replacement — by either sourcing locally or from other ...