The pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical markets in China are undergoing rapid modernization and continued growth, as a large group of new pharmaceutical factories begin construction, according to speakers at the Achema Worldwide Business Forum on China, which took place yesterday.
Gu Wei-Jun, the vice president of the China Pharmaceutical Association of Plant Engineering, discussed his country’s policy on the pharmaceutical industry, pointing out that the biotechnology industry is one of seven emerging industry sectors emphasized in China’s 12th Five-year Plan.
Gu said that the Chinese government was focused on upgrading technology for the biopharmaceutical industry, including improved product quality, and an improved quality assurance system. He mentioned that the country established new good manufacturing practices (GMP) rules in 2010 and began enforcing them in March of last year. He also mentioned improvement of drug safety standards and updating of the Chinese Pharmacopeia as areas of emphasis for the industry.
The China Business forum also featured Niels Ulrik Haxthausen, vice president of sales and marketing at consultant business NNE PharmaPlan. Haxthausen emphasized the tremendous growth opportunities related to pharmaceutical businesses in China, noting that hundreds of new manufacturing sites are either currently being built or are planned. He pointed out that Chinese pharmaceutical companies are undergoing a period of rapid consolidation, with the number of companies falling because of mergers and acquisition activity and other factors.
Michael Chung, VP of Shanghai Tofflon, highlighted the ways that modern aseptic-processing technologies are being adopted by the Chinese injectable drug industry. The technology changes that are becoming mainstream mainly fall within one of three areas, he said: automation technology to reduce direct operator involvement; isolation technology for aseptic packaging and systems integration for connecting upstream and downstream components of the process.