Brain & Nerves Care in China

Edaravone Dexborneol — Sanbexin

Edaravone Dexborneol (Sanbexin), jointly developed by Simcere Pharmaceutical and Neurodawn, is a China-originated combination drug for acute ischemic stroke, combining edaravone's antioxidant activity with dexborneol's anti-inflammatory and synergistic effects. The Phase 3 TASTE-SL trial — published in JAMA Neurology (2024) — showed that 64.4% of treated patients achieved a favorable outcome (mRS ≤1 at 90 days) versus 54.7% on placebo. In 2024, the FDA granted Edaravone Dexborneol Breakthrough Therapy Designation — the first innovative stroke drug globally to receive this designation from the FDA — validating its potential as a globally relevant neuroprotectant. Available in both injection and sublingual formulations, it is a meaningful new option for selected patients with acute ischemic stroke, particularly within the first 48 hours.

References [R17, R18]

Butylphthalide — NBP

Butylphthalide (dl-3-n-butylphthalide, or NBP) is one of the earliest and most established China-originated neuroprotective drugs. Originally derived from celery seed and then synthesized by the Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, it was approved by China's NMPA as a Class 1 innovative new drug in 2002. NBP is now included in Chinese national stroke treatment guidelines and is widely used in over 2,000 hospitals nationwide for acute ischemic stroke and ischemic cerebrovascular conditions. A growing body of clinical research — including multicenter trials in Chinese stroke centers — has examined its effects on neurological recovery, stroke recurrence, and small-vessel disease. For international patients seeking review of stroke history and recurrence-prevention strategies, NBP is part of the broader China-developed stroke pharmacology ecosystem.

References [R16, R17]

Crisugabalin — HSK16149

Crisugabalin (HSK16149) is a Class 1 innovative new drug independently developed by Sichuan Haisco Pharmaceutical — a novel selective α2δ subunit ligand of voltage-gated calcium channels, in the same broad family as pregabalin but with improved selectivity and a wider therapeutic index. NMPA approved Crisugabalin in May 2024 for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP) and in July 2024 for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) — with Phase 3 data published in JAMA Network Open (2024) and JAMA Dermatology (2024). In the United States, Crisugabalin remains in Phase 3 trials, meaning Chinese patients have earlier access to a globally novel pain medicine than US patients. Phase 3 trials are also ongoing for central neuropathic pain — specifically post-stroke pain and post-spinal-cord-injury pain — directly relevant to Brain & Nerves patients with chronic nerve pain.

Early Alzheimer's Therapies — Lecanemab / Donanemab

Lecanemab (Eisai/Biogen, Japan/USA) and donanemab (Lilly, USA) are global anti-amyloid antibodies for early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Both are approved in the US, Japan, EU (lecanemab from 2025), and China (from 2024). A peer-reviewed 2026 analysis documented these annual launch prices: US $26,500 (lecanemab) / $32,000 (donanemab); Japan $20,500; China $8,970 — a ~66% reduction from US pricing for lecanemab. Combined with substantially lower-cost amyloid PET/CSF confirmation, MRI safety monitoring, and infusion administration at Chinese centers, the total cost of a year of treatment in China can be a small fraction of the equivalent in the US.

References [R9-R11]

SMA Therapies — Nusinersen / Risdiplam

Nusinersen (Biogen, USA) and risdiplam (Roche, Switzerland) are global SMA therapies approved in the US, EU, Japan, and China. US list prices remain among the highest in pharmaceutical history — nusinersen at approximately $125,000 per dose, with a first-year cost near $750,000. In China, both drugs are NMPA-approved; through China's National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), domestic patients access nusinersen at approximately CNY 33,000 (~$5,180) per dose — a 95% reduction from the original launch price. For international patients (who cannot use NRDL pricing directly), drug pricing at Chinese hospitals remains substantially lower than US and Western European list prices.

References [R6-R8]

SOD1-ALS Targeted Therapy — Tofersen

Tofersen (Biogen, USA) is a global precision medicine for the rare SOD1-mutation form of ALS — approximately 2% of all ALS patients. It received FDA accelerated approval in April 2023. SOD1-ALS is so rare that even in the US and Western Europe, access infrastructure is concentrated at specialized ALS centers and out-of-pocket costs can be prohibitive (US annual list price is approximately $182,000). In China, tofersen entered commercial rollout in 2025 with significant cost advantages over US pricing, and an integrated rare-disease pathway covering genetic confirmation, specialist eligibility review, intrathecal administration, and ongoing safety monitoring. Boao Lecheng's rare-disease access infrastructure provides one legal pathway for eligible international patients.

References [R12-R13]

Complex neurosurgery reviews tumors and lesions near the brain's most sensitive structures.

Indicated for tumors and lesions located near the brain's most sensitive structures — brainstem gliomas, skull-base meningiomas, cavernous sinus lesions, pituitary macroadenomas, cranial nerve schwannomas, and lesions adjacent to motor, speech, or visual pathways. These cases are difficult because of anatomical location, not just histology. Beijing Tiantan Hospital — China's national neurosurgery center — reports more than 7,000 brain surgeries per year, one of the highest single-center volumes in the world. Other high-volume centers include Huashan (Shanghai), Xuanwu (Beijing), and West China Hospital (Chengdu). The value is careful surgical planning by teams that regularly manage complex skull-base and brainstem disease across thousands of cases annually, with functional protection prioritized.

References [R4]

Complex neurovascular care helps decide when to observe, intervene, bypass, or stage treatment.

Indicated for moyamoya disease, complex intracranial aneurysms (giant, fusiform, or surgically inaccessible), brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), spinal vascular malformations, intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, and recurrent TIA or unexplained recurrent stroke. These conditions are rarely solved by one simple procedure — patients may need observation, embolization, bypass surgery (STA-MCA, EDAS), microsurgical clipping, staged treatment, or rehabilitation. A nationwide Chinese hospital study identified 47,443 new-onset moyamoya patients — one of the largest moyamoya patient pools documented globally. This volume gives Chinese neurovascular teams (Tiantan, Huashan, Xuanwu) deep experience with the judgment calls that matter most: when to observe, when to intervene, which technique to choose, and how to sequence multimodal treatment in patients with multiple lesions.

References [R5]

A second-look stroke pathway can review what happened, why it happened, and what comes next.

Indicated for ischemic stroke (acute or post-acute), hemorrhagic stroke, recurrent transient ischemic attack (TIA), and complex cerebrovascular disease — particularly for international patients past the emergency phase who need a structured review of cause, acute-treatment quality, recurrence risk, and recovery planning. China's stroke ecosystem operates at unusual scale: the Chinese Stroke Center Alliance covers more than 1,500 hospitals nationwide, with national quality-improvement data, endovascular treatment experience, secondary prevention protocols, and rehabilitation infrastructure. This volume creates a depth of clinical judgment that supports patients with recurrent stroke, complex vessel disease, or unusual stroke etiology where local services have reached the limits of what they can review.

References [R1-R3]

China has the world's largest epilepsy patient population.

Indicated for drug-resistant focal epilepsy, where seizures persist despite trial of two or more appropriately selected anti-seizure medications — particularly temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), focal cortical dysplasia, post-encephalitis epilepsy, and lesional epilepsy with an identifiable seizure onset zone. Modern epilepsy surgery is enabled by stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG): minimally invasive depth-electrode implantation that maps the epileptogenic zone before resection. China has the largest epilepsy patient population worldwide. The Xuanwu Hospital Epilepsy Center (Capital Medical University, Beijing) reports 50,000 outpatient visits, 700 epilepsy surgeries, and 200 SEEG implantations per year — the largest national center — and serves as the national training base for neurosurgical-robot-assisted epilepsy surgery. Other major centers include Tiantan Hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Tsinghua University Yuquan Hospital.

DBS can help selected Parkinson's and movement-disorder patients when medication is no longer enough.

Indicated for advanced Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations or dyskinesias unresponsive to medication; essential tremor; primary dystonia; and selected refractory psychiatric indications including obsessive-compulsive disorder. DBS outcomes depend on patient selection, accurate brain-target choice, careful electrode placement, post-implant programming, and long-term adjustment. DBS technology was originally developed by Medtronic (USA). China's edge is twofold: domestic DBS device manufacturers (PINS Medical, SceneRay) now offer competitive alternatives at substantially lower cost than imported systems, and Chinese specialist centers have built remote programming infrastructure allowing post-discharge adjustment without repeat travel — relevant for international patients returning home after implantation. Chinese DBS device platforms themselves are covered separately under New Technology.

References [R22-R24]

Intensive neurorehabilitation helps patients rebuild function after stroke, spinal injury, or neurosurgery.

Indicated for functional recovery after ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neurosurgery, or peripheral nerve injury — focused on rebuilding walking, hand use, speech, swallowing, and daily independence. Recovery depends heavily on the quality, intensity, and continuity of rehabilitation. Modern neurorehabilitation principles are a global standard. China's edge is scale and access: selected centers (China Rehabilitation Research Center in Beijing, Huashan and Ruijin in Shanghai) deliver intensive multidisciplinary plans built around measurable functional outcomes, at access and cost terms substantially more favorable than US/EU equivalents. Specific rehabilitation devices — BCI gloves, robotic hand systems, exoskeletons — are covered under New Technology.

References [R19-R21]

Sinovation is China's flagship neurosurgical robot — used at 100+ tertiary hospitals.

Sinovation Medical's neurosurgical robot platforms (SR1 series, Q300, Sinobot X1) provide robot-assisted stereotactic guidance for SEEG depth-electrode implantation for epilepsy surgery, DBS lead implantation for Parkinson's disease, brain biopsy, hematoma evacuation, and trigeminal neuralgia percutaneous balloon compression. Independently developed in collaboration with Tsinghua University, the platform uses Holoshot 3D structured-light registration to eliminate the traditional stereotactic head frame. The Sinobot X1 has received both NMPA approval (via the Special Channel for Innovative Medical Devices) and US FDA clearance — one of the few Chinese neurosurgical robots cleared in both regulatory environments. Clinically deployed at more than 100 tertiary Chinese hospitals including Xuanwu Hospital (the national training base for robotic SEEG epilepsy surgery), Tiantan, Huashan, and PLA General Hospital.

References [R32-R33]

NeuCyber Matrix represents China's push to move BCI systems toward clinical use.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is moving from research laboratories toward regulated medical pathways. NeuCyber Matrix — also known as Beinao-1 — is a semi-invasive BCI system developed by the Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) Beijing and commercial partner NeuCyber NeuroTech. It is one of China's flagship BCI programs, with announced human implantation in five tetraplegic patients (2024–2025) and reported decoding of motor intention for communication and assisted hand control. Its relevance for international patients is the direction of travel: a regulated Chinese pathway aiming to restore communication, hand control, or assisted movement for people with severe paralysis, spinal cord injury, late-stage ALS, or brainstem stroke.

References [R25-R26]

NEO is a wireless minimally invasive BCI system developed through Tsinghua-led research.

Tsinghua's NEO system — developed by Prof. Hong Bo's group at the Department of Biomedical Engineering — is one of China's most clinically advanced BCI platforms. NEO uses a wireless, minimally invasive epidural electrode array placed over the motor cortex, deliberately trading the absolute signal density of fully penetrating arrays for a less invasive implant and a clearer regulatory pathway. The first NEO implantation in a tetraplegic patient took place at Xuanwu Hospital (Beijing) in October 2023, with subsequent patients reported through 2024–2025 demonstrating restored hand grasp and computer-cursor control via a soft pneumatic glove. In 2026, Chinese sources reported NMPA approval for a related implantable BCI hand-motor compensation system developed with industry partners — an early signal of regulated clinical translation.

References [R27-R29]

Chinese DBS platforms give neuromodulation teams more device choices.

The technology story behind deep brain stimulation (DBS) is different from the treatment story. Here, the China edge is device development: PINS Medical (Beijing, founded 2008) launched China's first domestic DBS system, G102R, in 2013 — the first approved DBS device outside Medtronic, St. Jude, and Boston Scientific — and now offers rechargeable, MRI-compatible, and remote-programming-enabled platforms. SceneRay (Suzhou) has built a parallel directional DBS portfolio with current-steering programming. Both companies hold NMPA approval and CE Mark and are deployed at major Chinese DBS centers including PLA General Hospital, Beijing Tiantan, and Ruijin. For patients, this matters because DBS care continues for years after implantation: domestic hardware can broaden device choice, support local programming and maintenance, and reduce total cost versus imported systems.

References [R30-R31]

A BCI-controlled soft robotic glove turns movement intention into assisted hand training.

After stroke or spinal injury, hand recovery is often slow because the brain and hand need repeated, meaningful practice. BCI-controlled soft robotic gloves detect movement intention through scalp EEG (or fNIRS) signals and assist hand opening, grasping, or task practice — turning passive therapy into intention-driven training. Multiple Chinese groups — including Tianjin University, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Tsinghua, and Fudan — have published clinical trials in chronic stroke patients showing meaningful gains in Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) scores after 4–8 weeks of BCI-glove rehabilitation. The technology is commercially available at major Chinese rehabilitation centers including the China Rehabilitation Research Center (Beijing) and is becoming a practical symbol of China's broader move toward technology-enabled neurorehabilitation.

References [R19-R20]

Robot-assisted rehabilitation platforms help patients train movement with higher repetition and clearer progress tracking.

Not every patient needs a brain-computer interface. Many need a rehabilitation program that is intensive, repeatable, and measurable. Robot-assisted neurorehabilitation platforms — including end-effector trainers (such as Hocoma's Armeo and Lokomat, and domestic Chinese equivalents like Fourier Intelligence's M2 / X2) and exoskeleton systems — can support hand, upper-limb, gait, balance, and task-based training after stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or neurosurgery. China has the world's largest deployment of inpatient neurorehabilitation robotics, anchored at the China Rehabilitation Research Center (Beijing), Huashan Rehabilitation Hospital, and most provincial tertiary stroke centers. Used alongside therapists, these systems help deliver more consistent practice, track Fugl-Meyer, Barthel Index, and gait outcomes objectively, and adjust training goals over time. This makes them a practical technology layer inside China's wider neurorehabilitation pathway.

References [R21]