Craig Chase is an American citizen who had been suffering from blood cancer for three years. After having spent six weeks in China, where he was treated with an experimental cure, known as Car T - cell (chimeric antigen receptor cell) therapy, he was discharged from the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital in Nanjing. Once back to the US, he was told that there was no trace of multiple myeloma left.
Research into this cure has boomed in China during the last decade and scientists believe that Car-T could potentially be employed in the future for other types of cancer and for infectious diseases as well.
This event shows how biotech industry in China is growing and how pharmaceutical research has become a national priority. Some strategic advantages, such as favourable regulation and low labor costs, could threaten US former leading position in the industry, increasing competition between US and China up.
This is not surprising, after all. Chinese population amounts to one fifth of the world’s one and, because of several issues affecting the Country, also holds the record for the world’s greatest incidence of cancer, which, on one hand, makes research necessary and, on the other, eases scientists into recruiting patients for trial. Furthermore, the government is striving towards innovation through the issuance of pharmaceutical regulations in line with international standards, in the aim of facilitating the process of drug registration.
This trend isn’t doomed to stop, as an increasing number of investors shows interest in Chinese biotech companies, which are indeed benefiting from substantial financial support both from the private and the public sectors. As a matter of fact, around $100 billion have been already invested in the industry by governmental entities, whereas venture capital and private equity funds specialised in the industry have raised more than $45 billion in the last three years.
As a consequence, the biotechnology sector in China is expected to grow in terms of output by $1.21 trillion by 2020, exceeding 4% of the Country GDP.
As far as Car T-cell therapy is concerned, this has been able to increase investments in the industry by $10 billion last year, since it is easier to obtain funding in China rather than in other Countries (such as the United States). Despite this, it is worth noticing that there have been some concerns about the proposal to carry on with the research and production of the cure in US, due to a massive increase in the costs (estimated to range from $158,000 to $475,000 per person). This would be a great burden for Chinese patients, whose average income, which is considerably lower compared to the US, would not allow them to undergo such therapies.
Instead, manufacturing costs in China would be much lower, down to one sixth of those previously mentioned.
Regardless of this, the fact that, in China, the biotech industry will continue to grow and to attract investors, becoming capable of eventually achieving some important results, is not questionable.
Gianluca Sobrero
Research into this cure has boomed in China during the last decade and scientists believe that Car-T could potentially be employed in the future for other types of cancer and for infectious diseases as well.
This event shows how biotech industry in China is growing and how pharmaceutical research has become a national priority. Some strategic advantages, such as favourable regulation and low labor costs, could threaten US former leading position in the industry, increasing competition between US and China up.
This is not surprising, after all. Chinese population amounts to one fifth of the world’s one and, because of several issues affecting the Country, also holds the record for the world’s greatest incidence of cancer, which, on one hand, makes research necessary and, on the other, eases scientists into recruiting patients for trial. Furthermore, the government is striving towards innovation through the issuance of pharmaceutical regulations in line with international standards, in the aim of facilitating the process of drug registration.
This trend isn’t doomed to stop, as an increasing number of investors shows interest in Chinese biotech companies, which are indeed benefiting from substantial financial support both from the private and the public sectors. As a matter of fact, around $100 billion have been already invested in the industry by governmental entities, whereas venture capital and private equity funds specialised in the industry have raised more than $45 billion in the last three years.
As a consequence, the biotechnology sector in China is expected to grow in terms of output by $1.21 trillion by 2020, exceeding 4% of the Country GDP.
As far as Car T-cell therapy is concerned, this has been able to increase investments in the industry by $10 billion last year, since it is easier to obtain funding in China rather than in other Countries (such as the United States). Despite this, it is worth noticing that there have been some concerns about the proposal to carry on with the research and production of the cure in US, due to a massive increase in the costs (estimated to range from $158,000 to $475,000 per person). This would be a great burden for Chinese patients, whose average income, which is considerably lower compared to the US, would not allow them to undergo such therapies.
Instead, manufacturing costs in China would be much lower, down to one sixth of those previously mentioned.
Regardless of this, the fact that, in China, the biotech industry will continue to grow and to attract investors, becoming capable of eventually achieving some important results, is not questionable.
Gianluca Sobrero