A roundup of some ot the biggest stories coming out of China’s biopharma industry: Chinese pharma shifts to local reagent suppliers; WuXi Biologics launches new stable cell line platform; Fosun and Expedition Therapeutics ink respiratory licensing deal, and GSK lands USD 500 million 12-drug agreement with Hengrui Pharma.

 

China pharma firms turn to local reagent suppliers to cut costs and delivery times (Reuters)

Pharmaceutical research and development firms in China are increasingly interested in procuring critical supplies known as reagents from local manufacturers, industry executives and managers said, as they seek to cut costs and delivery times.
Western reagent suppliers including U.S.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific and Germany’s Merck have profited in the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market from the compounds used in lab tests for analysis and quality control.

Sanofi stops supply of high cholesterol drug to China due to limited availability (Reuters)

Sanofi said it had stopped supplying Praluent, a popular cholesterol drug jointly developed by the French pharmaceuticals firm and its partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, in China due to limited availability.
“The surge in demand has led to limited availability in China, and some other countries,” Sanofi said in a statement sent to Reuters, adding “at the moment Praluent’s supply in China has already stopped.”

China’s WuXi Biologics launches HEK 293 stable cell line platform (BioSpectrum Asia)

WuXi Biologics, a leading global Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO), has announced the launch of WuXia293, a new platform designed for the development and manufacturing of innovative, difficult-to-express molecules that are stably expressed in HEK293 cells.

The platform, which demonstrates high titers, robust stability and superior quality, significantly enhances the developability and manufacturability of these molecules, offering a highly efficient CMC solution for biologics that are sophisticated in both structure and function.

Fosun and Expedition make $645m licensing deal for respiratory drug (Pharmaceutical Technology)

Fosun Pharma’s subsidiary, Fosun Pharma Industrial, has entered a licence agreement to grant ex-China rights for its experimental respiratory drug, XH-S004, to Expedition Therapeutics.

This agreement grants US-based Expedition the rights to independently develop, manufacture and commercialise XH-S004, an orally administered dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP-1) inhibitor developed by Fosun Pharma.

Kexing Biopharm Enters Strategic Partnership with IQVIA to Accelerate Global Expansion (PR Newswire)

Kexing Biopharm has officially entered into a comprehensive strategic partnership with IQVIA, a global leader in clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries.

The partnership aims to accelerate the global clinical development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of Kexing’s innovative drugs and biosimilars, with a strategic focus on Europe and other regulated international markets.

 

Biocair announces papid APAC expansion with new office in Shanghai (European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer)

The office is collocated with its warehouse to facilitate operations and enable enhanced collaboration between operations, sales, warehouse and transportation teams. Biocair has achieved 25% business growth in APAC in the first half of 2025 and, with double the footprint of Biocair’s previous Shanghai office, the new site will support the company’s ongoing growth.

Biocair first opened a Shanghai office in 2009 as its primary APAC location and has since opened a further seven offices in the region. This new office is strategically located near Pudong International Airport as well as Pharma Valley in the Zhangjiang High Tech Zone. Following the recent opening of Biocair’s Chengdu office, this expansion further strengthens Biocair’s presence in the region and its position as a leading global logistics provider.

 

Sanofi pens $395M China pact for Arrowhead metabolic med awaiting approval decision (Fierce Biotech)

Sanofi is handing over $130 million upfront for the China rights to Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ rare metabolic disease treatment that is currently being considered for approval by Chinese regulators.

The RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic, called plozasiran, already aced a phase 3 trial last year, which tied 25-mg and 50-mg doses of the drug to 80% and 78% reductions, respectively, in triglycerides at 10 months for patients with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS).

 

GSK strengthens COPD offering via $12B biobucks, 12-program deal with China’s Hengrui Pharma (Fierce Pharma)

Having recently scored approval for Nucala in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), GSK has now signed a major $12 billion biobucks deal designed to strengthen the pharma’s offering for the respiratory condition.

GSK is paying $500 million upfront to China’s Hengrui Pharma in a deal spanning up to 12 drugs. The companies only name-checked one of these medicines in their July 28 release—a PDE3/4 inhibitor dubbed HRS-9821.