In 2009, China’s biopharmaceuticals import and export amounted to US$887 million, an increase of 44.35% over the same period of the previous year, of which exports increased by 53.16% year-on-year, and vaccine exports increased by 19.71% year-on-year.

China's biopharmaceuticals import and export are facing a good opportunity for development. With the strong support of the government, China's biopharmaceutical industry has made great progress, and has become more and more closely linked with the international biopharmaceutical industry, maintaining a substantial increase in imports of biopharmaceuticals. At the same time, exports of some biopharmaceutical products are also steadily increasing.

In 2009, China’s biopharmaceuticals import and export amounted to US$887 million, an increase of 44.35% over the same period of the previous year. Among them, exports were US$87.175 million, an increase of 53.16% year-on-year; imports were US$800 million, a year-on-year increase of 43.35%, and imports and exports both showed significant increases. The growth trend and development potential are full. At present, China's biopharmaceutical companies have grown to more than 500, and the sales revenue of the biopharmaceutical industry exceeds 40 billion yuan, but it is lower than the proportion of the global biopharmaceutical industry in the pharmaceutical industry, indicating China's biopharmaceutical industry. There is also a very large space for development. It can be predicted that China's biopharmaceutical imports and exports will continue to maintain rapid growth in 2010.

Export

Asia is the main market and there is a major breakthrough in vaccines

【Enterprises】 In 2009, there were 135 enterprises engaged in the export of biopharmaceutical products in China, and 20 enterprises with export volume above USD 1 million.

[Market] In 2009, China's bio-pharmaceuticals were exported to 126 countries and regions. Asia is the major export market, accounting for 59.57% of the total. In 2009, China's top 10 export partners for biopharmaceuticals were India, the United States, and China. Hong Kong, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan accounted for 77.99%, of which the Indian market alone accounted for 34.66%.

[Variety] In 2009, China's export of human vaccines was US$ 19,157,600, an increase of 19.71% over the same period of last year. It was exported to 35 countries and regions. There were no export records for Oceania and North America. The main export markets were India, Pakistan and South Korea. Malawi and Thailand, the proportion of up to 84.63%, of which only India's share of up to 67.39%.

Since the beginning of the new century, with the SARS, H5N1, H1N1 and other viruses raging around, various types of epidemic have spread worldwide, making the vaccine market demand increase substantially. It is predicted that the global vaccine market sales will increase at a rate of 18%. By 2011, the global vaccine market sales will increase to 30 billion US dollars.

As China’s vaccines are inexpensive and affordable, the markets in Asia and Africa have become very popular and have maintained rapid growth. Among them, the Chengdu Institute of Biological Products has successfully passed the review of the Indian drug regulatory authorities after years of efforts, and it has its own proprietary Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Entered the Indian government procurement system, which indicates that China's bio-pharmaceutical industry level has been greatly improved, but currently there is no other domestic companies outside the Chengdu Institute of Biological Products into the scope of foreign government procurement.

import

Europe and the United States account for the big head and the trade deficit is still large

[Enterprises] According to relevant data, in 2009, there were 406 companies operating bio-pharmaceutical imports nationwide, and 63 companies with imports exceeding US$1 million.

[Market] In 2009, China imported biopharmaceuticals from 43 countries and regions. Europe and North America are the major import markets. The proportion of the two markets is as high as 96.55%. In 2009, China’s top ten trade partners for biopharmaceutical imports were in the United States. Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy accounted for 93.56% of the total, of which only the United States and Germany accounted for 43.91% of the market.

【Variety】 Imports of human vaccines amounted to US$196 million, an increase of 6.41% year-on-year. A total of 11 companies in the country operated such goods. Shanghai GlaxoSmithKline Biological Products Co., Ltd. topped the list of human vaccine imports, which accounted for the largest proportion. 61.42%, its import is mainly GSK's recombinant (yeast) hepatitis B vaccine liquid products, and currently there are few other foreign hepatitis B vaccine products. Recombinant (yeast) hepatitis B vaccine is currently the backbone of domestic and foreign applications, mainly with Merck and East Lan Sike as representative.

[Rethinking] At present, China's biopharmaceutical exports are mainly restricted by technical barriers such as foreign registration. Due to the stringent requirements of foreign countries for the quality standards of biopharmaceuticals, combined with the lack of international market development capabilities of enterprises, insufficient funds and energy are invested to cause biopharmaceuticals in China. Import and export trade deficit is too large.

To change this situation, it is necessary to further optimize the structure of export commodities, strengthen cooperation with countries and regions with developed biomedical industries, actively introduce technology and talents, and strengthen research on biomedical policies and regulations in developed countries and regions. Through the registration of the World Health Organization and efforts to obtain the procurement orders of the United Nations, we will certainly be able to open up the export space for biopharmaceuticals in the international market.