Western pharmaceutical companies need to tap into “mind-bogglingly impressive innovation” in China despite “anti-Chinese sentiment” in US life sciences, according to the chief executive of Genmab, one of Europe’s leading biotech companies.Jan van de Winkel, head of the DKK132bn ($19bn) Danish biotech that recently announced its first acquisition by buying a US-Chinese drugmaker, said that pharma groups cannot ignore Chinese biotechs that “are growing very, very rapidly with the government there investing massive amounts of money”.
His comments come as US legislation seeking to restrict key Chinese contract manufacturers from working with pharma companies makes its way through Congress, even as their appetite for acquiring biotechs or signing deals to develop Chinese-designed drugs appears undimmed, thanks to high innovation and attractive prices.
AstraZeneca acquired Chinese company Gracell Biotechnologies in December for $1.2bn, and GSK has also signed two licensing deals with cancer drugmaker Hansoh Pharma worth about $1.5bn each.