During a press conference on October 9, Vice Mayor Jiang Zhitao of Guangzhou provided insights into a newly introduced action plan designed to advance the high-quality development of the biopharmaceutical industry in Guangdong. He noted that in the first half of this year alone, Guangzhou recorded an impressive 93.16 million medical consultations, averaging about 510,000 visits each day.
Jiang highlighted that the biopharmaceutical sector has become a strategic pillar for the city. Guangzhou has established a spatial industrial layout that focuses on the International Bio-Island as the core engine, with Nansha Science City, the China-Singapore Knowledge City, and the aviation hub acting as the northern and southern poles. This framework facilitates the clustered growth of biopharmaceutical companies. Currently, over 6,500 businesses in the biopharmaceutical and health sectors are based in the city, including 23 publicly listed firms, 265 large industry enterprises, and more than 1,000 high-tech companies.
By June 2024, Guangzhou had a total of 6,791 medical and health institutions employing over 70,000 doctors. Impressively, 26 hospitals have been approved for national clinical key specialty construction projects across 155 specialties, positioning them among the top three in the nation. The city also hosts eight national medical centers along with regional medical centers.
The high-quality medical resources in Guangzhou have attracted a significant influx of patients from both the local area and neighboring regions. In 2022, the number of medical consultations reached 140 million, climbing to 170 million in 2023. In just the first half of this year, the city recorded 93.16 million consultations, reflecting a 10% increase in daily visits compared to 2023 and a remarkable 32% increase from 2022.
On the technological innovation front, Guangzhou is building substantial life and health technology platforms, including initiatives like the Human Cell Lineage and the “Human Proteome Navigation” international scientific program. The city is home to 45 Good Clinical Practice (GCP) drug trial institutions, 47 medical device clinical trial facilities, and 84 key laboratories at the provincial or national level in the biopharmaceutical field. Additionally, there are currently five P3 laboratories, with another six under construction, along with six national corporate technology centers and six national engineering technology research centers. In the first half of this year, Guangzhou received approval for 75 new clinical trial applications, marking a 44.2% year-on-year increase, along with 42 new registrations for Class III medical devices, which is a 100% rise.
Furthermore, Guangzhou has set up special support funds to industrialize research projects in biopharmaceuticals and high-end medical devices, with financial backing for top global projects going as high as 5 billion yuan.
Vice Mayor Jiang emphasized that Guangzhou is dedicated to fostering a business-friendly environment for industries, enterprises, entrepreneurs, and scientists, aiming to cultivate a climate conducive to growth and accelerated success. He reiterated the city’s commitment to meticulously implementing this action plan and promoting more collaborative projects in the future.
