There has been a barrage of investment in flexible single-use capacity in the burgeoning China market. But as the sector matures and projects move to commercial, developers are likely to opt for fixed stainless-steel facilities, says BioPlan Associates.
Biomanufacturing in China is blossoming, driven by changing regulations and a surge in investment, which have created a pathway for Market Authorization Holders (MAHs) and domestic third-party manufacturers alike.
In the recent CPhI Worldwide annual report, Vicky Qing XIA, senior project manager at life science analysis firm BioPlan Associates, wrote that China’s biologics market has grown from under $1 billion (€900 million) in 2012 to a projected $50 billion in 2021.
But while the future of China’s biopharma market is bright, it is also likely to be stainless, XIA said.
“When biopharma developers consider commercial scale bio-production, they tend to prefer stainless steel as it is cheaper. As more projects go to the clinical stage or even to the market, we will see more stainless-steel facilities being constructed or expanded.”
Despite the headlines, numerous biopharma companies are already using stainless steel technology, she continued. 3S Guojian’s 38,000-liter mAb facility in Shenyang and Qilu Pharma’s new facility in Jinan are examples, but more information can be found in BioPlan Associates’ Top 60 China Biopharma Directory.
“All the insulin makers use stainless steel bioreactors,” she continued, adding that “cases of commercial scale bioproduction by domestic biopharma companies being solely dependent upon single use technology are very rare, if they do exist.”