China is already the world’s leading producer of drug raw materials, and it is beginning to make its first steps into the generics market. This summer, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceuticals firm based in Linhai, became the first Chinese company to be approved to export drugs to the US. Huahai’s generic version of nevirapine—an AIDS drug—can be sold in the US starting in 2012, when the US patent held by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH is set to expire. Industry insiders believe that China will be able to rival India’s strength in the market, despite recent problems in the Chinese export industry. Other companies looking to enter the market include Hisun Pharmaceutical and Shanghai Desano Chemical Pharmaceutical.

Source: Wall Street Journal