The EBC Expo is a showcase for the bioindustry.
Release Date:
2023-03-27 00:00
Yesterday, I attended the 2023 Yimao Bio-Industry Conference and Exhibition together with my colleagues. Here are the observations from the first day of the visit:
Hall C is primarily dedicated to instruments, equipment, and consumables, showcasing upstream equipment such as fermenters and bioreactors, as well as downstream purification equipment including chromatography columns, liquid-handling chromatography systems, and ATF tangential flow filtration systems. General laboratory equipment on display includes temperature-controlled instruments, liquid-handling workstations, ultrapure water systems, and tubing-connecting/sealing machines. The reagents and consumables section mainly features culture media, packing materials, filters, and culture flasks. Most of the custom-designed booths are occupied by domestic brands, while several well-known foreign brands—such as Sartorius and Thermo Fisher—have chosen not to set up exhibition areas. In contrast, numerous Chinese instrument and equipment companies have prominently featured themselves in specially designed booths, including JinYi Shengshi, Bioland, Saiqiao Biotech, Zhongboruikang, Hanbang Technology, Duoning Biotech, Lechun Biotech, Dongfulong, and Chutian.
In terms of domestic substitution for bioreactors, manufacturers that have developed imitations of the Cytiva Wave 25 wave-type bioreactor include Dongfulong, JinYi Shengshi, and Zhongboruikang. As for manufacturers replicating the XDR-200 stirred-tank bioreactor, they include Dongfulong, JinYi Shengshi, Bailinke, Duoning Bio, Lechun Bio, and others.
Based on current observations, most domestically produced substitute products can indeed match foreign brands in terms of appearance and functionality; however, they still lag behind in critical areas such as product quality and after-sales service. It is imperative that we recognize clearly: if domestic substitution is limited to low pricing alone, it will not be sufficient to support the long-term development of Chinese brands. After all, companies need profits to sustain continuous investment in R&D, refine and upgrade their products based on market and customer feedback, establish reliable quality-control systems, and devote time and effort to employee training—thereby enhancing staff skills and professional competence.
Hall B primarily focuses on contract research organization (CRO) services and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) services. WuXi Biologics, the leading domestic CDMO for biopharmaceuticals, did not set up a dedicated exhibit area as it has in the past. Instead, this year’s special exhibition zone for antibody drug CDMO is occupied by: GenScript Biotech, Loto Life Sciences, Yantai MabPlex, ZhenGe Bio, Kangri Bio, Junke Huarun, Kailaiying Biotech, HanTeng Bio, and Sherpa Bio. The special exhibition zone for cell and gene therapy CDMO features: Jianxin Yuanli, Boteng Bio, Yunxin Plasmid, Kaituo Bio, and Yuan Bio.
Tai-Chu Group offers end-to-end non-clinical R&D CRO and CDMO services, with four subsidiaries that cover the entire preclinical drug development pipeline. Shengming Biotechnology, located in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, provides contract manufacturing services ranging from engineered cell line construction to large-scale (1.5 L) production. Ridai Pharmaceutical is the biologics CDMO facility established by Polaris Group in Chengdu, China; its CDMO platform supports the development and manufacturing of recombinant proteins and enzyme preparations, mRNA-based therapeutics, targeted therapies, cell therapies, and antibodies, among others.
After discussions with industry peers, it’s clear that overall sentiment is one of anxiety. Under the current market conditions, the domestic antibody CDMO sector is likely to undergo a major reshuffling. Companies like Innovent Biologics and Henlius, which were once the two leading flagships of domestic antibody R&D just five years ago, have now spun off their CMC teams and manufacturing capacity to establish dedicated CDMO entities. I’ve also heard that several other biopharmaceutical companies with in-house antibody development programs are pursuing similar strategic moves by building commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. How will the future landscape of the antibody CDMO industry evolve? Will some firms be forced out due to poor operational performance, or will we see widespread industry consolidation and restructuring? These scenarios are likely to play out repeatedly over the next couple of years.
The foregoing is solely my personal opinion and does not represent the interests of any company.
(Reposted from E-Pharmacy Barometer )
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