Big Pharma Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Initiatives in China

Several big pharmaceutical players have carried out multiple biopharmaceuticals focused initiatives, including acquisitions, facility establishments, joint ventures, partnerships / collaborations, and venture capital funding, in China.

Of these, Sanofi has emerged as the most active player (in terms of initiatives undertaken), having carried out the maximum number of initiatives, of which, 36% were related to partnership / collaboration, 27% involved establishment of R&D centers, and 18% were facility expansions. This was followed by Merck, GSK and Pfizer, whose prime focus was also on the establishment of partnerships / collaborations with other biopharmaceutical developers in China. Further, players, such as Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Amgen and AbbVie, were primarily focused on the establishment of biopharmaceutical R&D centers. In addition, Merck, GSK, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb have entered into joint venture agreements with an aim to establish their presence in the Chinese market. Moreover, Sanofi, Merck, GSK and Roche have established manufacturing facilities in this region to maintain their position within the Chinese industry. In addition, over 80% of such initiative were carried out post 2005 and primarily for vaccines.

Majority of the big pharma initiatives were carried out in eastern China. Within this region, over 80% of the big pharma initiatives were undertaken in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. It is worth mentioning that these provinces are considered as key biopharmaceutical production hubs in eastern China. Further, some of the big pharma players, such as Sanofi, Merck, Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb, have undertaken initiatives related to biopharmaceutical in northern China, including Beijing. This indicates the increasing interest of big pharma players in such emerging regions as these locations are likely to provide companies the first mover advantage.

The 'China Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing Market, 2020-2030' report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunities associated with the contract manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals in China. The study also features a detailed analysis of key drivers and trends related to this evolving domain. Amongst other elements, the report includes:

• A detailed review of the overall landscape of companies offering contract manufacturing services for biopharmaceuticals in China, along with information on year of establishment, company size, scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), location of headquarters, number of manufacturing facilities, as well as location of these facilities, type of business segment, type of manufacturing service(s) offered (process development and characterization, method validation and testing, analytical development, stability studies, quality assurance and control, scale-up, downstream processing, regulatory support, data analytics and reporting, and others), type of biologic(s) manufactured (peptides / proteins, antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies, gene therapies, antibody drug conjugates, vectors, biosimilars, nucleic acids and others), type of expression system(s) used (mammalian, microbial and others), type of bioreactor(s) used (single-use bioreactors and stainless steel bioreactors) and its mode of operation (batch, fed-batch and perfusion), type of packaging, and affiliations to regulatory accreditations and certifications (if any)

One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the existing market size and the future growth potential within the biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing market in China. Based on various parameters, such as projected growth of the overall biopharmaceutical market in China, cost of goods sold, and direct manufacturing costs, we have provided an informed estimate of the likely evolution of the market in the short to mid-term and mid to long term, for the period 2020-2030. The report also provides details on the likely distribution of the current and forecasted opportunity across [A] type of product (active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage formulations (FDFs)), [B] types of expression systems used (mammalian, microbial and others), [C] scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), and [D] company size (small, mid-sized and large / very large). In order to account for future uncertainties and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, namely conservative, base and optimistic scenarios, representing different tracks of the industry’s growth.

The opinions and insights presented in the report were influenced by discussions held with senior stakeholders in the industry. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following industry stakeholders:

• Birgit Schwab, Senior Manager Strategic Marketing, Rentschler Biotechnologie
• Jeffrey Hung, Chief Commercial Officer, Vigene Biosciences
• Stephen Taylor, Senior Vice President Commercial, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.

Roots Analysis provides market research and consulting in the pharmaceutical industry. Focussed on providing an informed and impartial view on key issues facing the industry, our research is primarily driven by an in-depth analysis.