"In the current era when the tide of globalization is surging and technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, the global pharmaceutical industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom."
-Deshangchemical
In the current era when the tide of globalization is surging and technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, the global pharmaceutical industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Just like the vigorous seedlings growing in spring, they constantly absorb the nourishment of new technologies and new concepts, demonstrating vigorous vitality and unlimited potential. Amid this surging wave of development, the demand for innovative drug intermediates is like a runaway horse, showing an extremely rapid and unstoppable growth trend. This growth is by no means an accidental market fluctuation, but rather an inevitable outcome resulting from the interweaving and joint action of multiple complex factors.
If we delve into the reasons behind this phenomenon, we will find that the most remarkable core focus is highly concentrated in two crucial areas. The first field is the related intermediates involved in the research and development of drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, all of humanity has been engaged in this war without gunsmoke. Scientists have been working day and night to tackle key problems, striving to find effective ways to combat the virus. The significance of drug research and development, as a key weapon to defeat the epidemic, is self-evident. These drugs used to treat the novel coronavirus, from their initial laboratory conception to their final clinical application, have relied on high-quality intermediates at every stage. These intermediates are like the cornerstones of a building, carrying people's hopes for health and life.
Another area that has attracted much attention is the weight loss drugs represented by GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as the intermediates required for drugs like semaglutide, which is well-known in the medical field. With the improvement of people's living standards and the enhancement of their health awareness, the demand for body management and weight control is increasing day by day. This new type of weight loss drug, with its unique mechanism of action and remarkable effects, has quickly become a favorite in the market. However, it is no easy task to produce safe and effective weight loss drugs. The key lies in obtaining high-purity and high-performance intermediates. The intermediates of these specific drugs pose extremely high requirements, both in terms of the complexity of their molecular structures and the fineness of their synthesis processes. Every step of the chemical reaction and every purification operation must be precise and error-free, as any minor deviation may affect the quality and efficacy of the final drug, and thus relate to the patient's health and treatment outcome.
Despite the market's intense demand for such high-end intermediates, a thorny supply gap problem has been encountered in the actual production process at present. The emergence of this problem is not caused by a single factor, but stems from multiple challenges. From a technical perspective, the existing synthetic technologies still have certain limitations and are difficult to achieve large-scale and high-efficiency production. In terms of production equipment, the precision and stability of some key equipment are insufficient, failing to meet the demands of refined production. In addition, the instability of raw material supply is also a significant bottleneck. The prices of certain scarce raw materials fluctuate greatly and the supply cycle is long, which brings great uncertainty to the production plans of enterprises. The combination of these factors has led to the output of these key intermediates being far from meeting the growing market demand, creating a clear contradiction between supply and demand.
Meanwhile, on the vast stage of the international pharmaceutical market, China is like a brilliant pearl. As a globally significant pharmaceutical manufacturing base, it has demonstrated extraordinary strength and huge potential in the field of innovative drug intermediates. In recent years, Chinese enterprises have gradually mastered core technologies and independent intellectual property rights through continuous technological innovation and industrial upgrading. The quality of their products has also reached the international advanced level. According to relevant data released by authoritative institutions, the transaction volume of China's innovative drug intermediates in external licensing reached an astonishing 51.9 billion US dollars in 2024. This dazzling figure not only sets a new historical record, but also fully demonstrates China's strong strength and broad market prospects in this field. A further analysis of these transaction details reveals that the down payment amount is also as high as 4.1 billion US dollars. Such a high down payment is not only a symbol of high recognition and trust in the quality of China's innovative drug intermediates, but also a vivid portrayal of the urgent demand for these products in the international market. It means that the position of Chinese enterprises in the global pharmaceutical industry chain is constantly rising and their influence is expanding day by day.
Looking ahead, with the continuous progress and development of the global pharmaceutical industry and the increasing demand for health among people, it is expected that China's export scale in the field of innovative drug intermediates will continue to show a steady upward trend. This will not only bring new development opportunities to China's pharmaceutical industry, but also inject strong impetus into promoting the upgrading and development of the entire industry. Chinese enterprises are expected to further consolidate their own advantages, expand international market space and achieve a magnificent transformation from "Made in China" to "Created in China" in this process.
