China-EU pilot part of plan to boost pharma

Chinese biotechnology firms are aiming to match the achievements of the country's other industrial sectors, by focussing on quality as well as price, according to local firms. Additionally, China's regulators have met with their European Union counterparts to address security concerns in the drug supply chain.

Some estimates value the global outsourcing of research this year at $3.5 billion, of which less than 5% is going to China. The main obstacles are intellectual property concerns, quality control and language. Kevin Chen, vice president of Bioduro, a San Diego, USA-based biotech contract research firm with a growing presence in China, told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper: "there is a gap in Chinese capabilities, especially in laboratory experience."

Meanwhile, the European Union and China have agreed a pilot project for "smart and secure trade lanes," involving the ports of Felixstowe, UK; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and Shenzhen, China. The supply chain security improvements could soon be extended across the EU.