Development Quality of China’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry: A Perspective Based on Multidimensional Evaluation and Spatiotemporal Evolution

The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in China is undergoing a critical transition toward high-quality development, making a systematic assessment of its Development Quality of the Pharmaceutical manufacturing industry (DQPI) essential for evidence-based policy formulation. However, a comprehensive evaluation system incorporating the dimensions of open and green development, as well as a spatiotemporal evolution analysis, remains underdeveloped. To address these gaps, this study develops a five-dimensional evaluation system for DQPI comprising industrial scale, economic benefits, innovation, open development, and green development. Using data from 2011 to 2023 at three spatial scales (national, regional, and provincial), this study applies entropy weight method, coupling coordination degree model, regional differences analysis, and spatial autocorrelation analysis to conduct a multidimensional evaluation and spatiotemporal evolution analysis. The results indicate a significant upward trend in China’s DQPI at the national level, with innovation being the primary driver. However, economic benefits act as a key constraint, and green development has recently declined. Spatially, inter-regional differences emerge as the primary source of overall differences, manifesting as a distinct east–west gradient pattern and a core-periphery structure characterized by high-high and low-low clusters. This study uncovers the key structural challenges: an efficiency-profitability paradox within the innovation-to-benefit transformation, and intensifying regional divergence. To address these, it proposes a synergistic ‘Core Leadership–Periphery Breakthrough’ governance framework, informing the transition of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry toward high-quality and sustainable development.