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Biopharmaceutical experts note industry's development

By Shi Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-17 11:52

Representatives of over 40 international pharmaceutical companies and 120 delegates from local pharmaceutical enterprises attended the 2010 China International Biopharmaceutical Cooperation Forum, held in Nanjing on June 11.

The forum, co-organized by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Nanjing city government, is part of the third China International Service Outsourcing Cooperation Conference, an annual event initiated in 2008.

Nanjing Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Nanjing Food and Drug Administration, Nanjing New and High-Tech Industry Development Zone and Nanjing Commerce Bureau also helped run the forum.

Gerard Seghers, economic and commercial counselor at the Embassy of Belgium in Beijing, Michael Ryde, commercial counselor at the Embassy of Denmark and Claudio Mazzucchelli, commercial counselor at the Emabassy of Switzerland, attended the forum.

Well-known pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Novartis were also present at the forum, as well as Chinese pharmaceutical entrepreneurs from Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Zhao Xiaojun, vice mayor of Nanjing, delivered a keynote speech on the current situation of biopharmaceutical companies in Nanjing as well as the planning targets for the city.

The total sales of the biopharmaceutical industry rose 23.8 percent to 26 billion yuan ($3.81 billion) last year, with the medical manufacturing sector alone contributing 9.5 billion yuan, up about 20 percent, Zhao said.

The city government will invest 10 billion yuan in supporting biopharmaceutical companies in the next three years, helping the output of local biopharmaceuticals exceed 50 billion yuan by 2012, the vice mayor said.

With rapid growth of biopharmaceutical technologies in European countries such as Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland, a number of leading biopharmaceutical companies were founded there. Commercial counselors of the above countries gave a brief introduction of the biopharmaceutical industry in their country during the event.

The Belgian government attaches much importance to scientific research, and has generously invested in over the past 10 years, Seghers said.

The state of Walloon has been a focus for investment and is cited by Seghers as an example of the development of biopharmaceuticals in Europe. The state's GDP relies on technological progress, the counselor said.

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In addition to a biopharmaceutical technology park in Walloon, some 50 research centers have been set up in cooperation with a number of government industrial departments.

Every university in Belgium carries out research projects sponsored by related industrial departments.

Over 10 years' of development, the biopharmaceutical industry in Walloon has become one of the most competitive worldwide, with a number of globally leading companies based there.

Apart from GSK, a company that accounts for 25 percent of the world's vaccine production, Walloon State has also seen the development of IBA, famous for its cancer detection imaging technology as well as UCB, well-known for its study on pathology, and the immune and nervous systems.

Chinese biopharmaceutical entrepreneurs also shared their ideas on the development of the industry. Tong Zhang, managing director and site head of Lilly Global R&D China gave his thoughts on the "ecosystem of biopharmaceutical innovation". And Yin Zhong, chief technique officer of Nanjing Medical Group gave a speech on innovation, collaboration and the win-win situation of the Chinese medicine industry. Both speakers discussed their own experiences, and their speeches inspired the listening Chinese biopharmaceutical entrepreneurs.

Six participants from the leading biopharmaceutical companies in China and foreign countries attended panel discussions as keynote speakers. They included Andreas Claudius Tschirky, general manager of Roche R&D Center China, Matt Safi, general manager of UK PharmaBio Solutions Ltd, and V. Muraleedharan, company representative and Manager of Business Development of Dr.Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.

Hosted by Guo Xia, president of Venurepharm Group, the panel touched on a variety of issues ranging from the possibility of service outsourcing, to research innovation.