Hangzhou's Biopharmaceutical Industry Seizes New Opportunities as 8 of World's Top 10 Pharma Giants Establish Presence

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry Dynamics】Hangzhou has always regarded the biopharmaceutical industry as a key sector for development. Through continuous growth, Hangzhou's biopharmaceutical industry has encountered numerous development opportunities and benefits, attracting a concentration of global biopharmaceutical innovation resources. Data shows that Hangzhou currently hosts 64 listed biopharmaceutical companies, and eight of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical enterprises have settled in Hangzhou, including Pfizer and MSD.
 

Biopharmaceuticals are strategic emerging industries with extremely high requirements for the entire industrial ecosystem, including talent, policy, government services, and the industrial chain. For this reason, Hangzhou has established a complete government service system, comprehensively promoted the construction of scientific research platforms and technology platforms, created a talent pool, and fully supported the development of enterprises in the industrial chain.
 

The relevant person in charge stated that, while Hangzhou has the advantage of a strong traditional pharmaceuticals industry, it has also developed distinctive strengths in areas such as new drug research and development, medical devices, and digital healthcare. Additionally, it has made in-depth advancements in cutting-edge fields like synthetic biology, BT+IT, gene therapy, and cell therapy.
 

In order to create better opportunities for the development of the biopharmaceuticals industry, Hangzhou has continuously strengthened its policy support for the biopharmaceuticals sector in recent years. It is reported that from 2018 to date, Hangzhou has issued four special policy documents on biopharmaceuticals, fully demonstrating Hangzhou’s determination to develop the biopharmaceuticals industry. Not long ago, Hangzhou also released the "Several Measures to Support High-Quality Development of the Synthetic Biology Industry," targeting the future track of the synthetic biology industry and striving to take an early lead.
 

In addition, the "Reform Plan for Environmental Impact Assessment System of Laboratory-level Production and Related Industries in Hangzhou's Biomedical Industry" has also been issued recently. This reform represents an early initiative in Hangzhou within Zhejiang Province to advance the environmental impact assessment system for "laboratory-level production in the biomedical industry," building on the continuous iteration and upgrade of the previous "planning EIA + project EIA" reform in industrial parks.
 

A Biotech Company in Hangzhou’s Eastern Medicine Port Town has benefited from this reform "tailwind." The company plans to invest in the construction of 4.48 million bottles of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) products, which can be used for treating solid tumors and hematological tumors, as part of a strategic emerging industry. After review, the project falls under the category of laboratory research and development conversion projects, with low pollution and high value. Therefore, it only needs to complete the "Hangzhou Construction Project Environmental Impact Registration Form" before production starts and simultaneously apply for a discharge permit, which can shorten the environmental impact assessment preparation time by more than three months and save nearly 200,000 yuan in costs.
 

It is reported that, in order to boost the development of the biopharmaceutical industry and better serve relevant enterprises, the Hangzhou market supervision department has also been taking action. Since this year, the Hangzhou Market Supervision Bureau has carried out list-based visits and managed with a checklist, individually investigating major industrial projects under discussion, being handled, or under review within the city's jurisdiction. They have drawn up a list of key service enterprises in the pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics sectors, and coordinated solutions to a large number of difficulties, pain points, demands, and issues faced by various biopharmaceutical companies.
 

Hangzhou Continues to Promote the Transformation of Industry-Academia-Research Achievements. According to incomplete statistics, since the beginning of this year, one Class 1 innovative drug has been approved for marketing in Hangzhou, 14 new drug registration certificates have been added, nine new drug manufacturing licenses (including marketing authorization holders) have been issued, and 46 new drug varieties have been approved for clinical trials; 306 new Class II and III registration certificates have been approved, and eight national innovative medical devices have been newly approved.
 

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