Why You Should Conduct Your Biotech And CAR-T Research In China

The clinical trial landscape is increasingly costly and competitive, especially in the biotechnology industry. Smaller companies need help finding funding opportunities and competing with larger companies for participants and resources, especially in the U.S. and Europe. More companies are turning to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, which has a high population but is underutilized in global clinical trials. China’s trial density is six times lower than the U.S. and five times lower than Europe. However, its cell-and-gene therapy research has a compound annual growth rate of 18%, higher than any other country. China’s high population, low trial density, and investment in biotech make it an ideal location for clinical trials. Additionally, its CAR-T research is paving the way for innovative treatments for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers.

APAC is leading the way in cell-and-gene-based therapeutics. In the past five years, APAC has surpassed North America and Europe combined, in therapy trials. From 2018-2022, ~45% of all cell and gene therapy trials were conducted in APAC. As the largest APAC country, China is leading the biopharmaceutical industry, especially in oncology trials.

With over a billion people and a government friendly to biotech, China provides numerous opportunities for international clinical trials. Government policies offer foreign biotech companies several advantages, including alignment with overseas regulators like the FDA and the European Medicines Agency, an improved regulatory environment, and the capability to expedite innovative drugs.