Eastern promise: UK pharma firm reports huge surge in Chinese orders

UK equipment supplier ChargePoint Technology has announced 150% growth (£300k) in new equipment sales in Asia, driven by China’s ambitions to become a major player in global pharma

The Liverpool-based bio-tech company reported the huge surge for the first quarter of 2016 and credited the success of its AseptiSafe and high containment PharmaSafe Pro valves to a 386% (£175k) increase in sales from China alone.

ChargePoint Technology says it already supplies precision containment valves to some of the biggest pharmaceutical names across the globe for the development of medicines and vaccines from its premises in Speke, Liverpool.

The AseptiSafe valve creates a sterile area the size of a dinner plate and reduces the need for the large scale clean rooms and isolators to keep drug manufacturing areas sterile.

The device also speeds up production, protects operators from hazardous products and keeps raw materials free from bacterial contamination, claims the group.

The Chinese pharma industry has made containment transfer of chemicals used for manufacturing vaccines and powder drugs a priority to comply with the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) strict health and safety rules.

By adhering to American standards, Chargepoint reports that the Chinese are predicted to become become the main manufacturer of pharmaceuticals sold in the west.

Tony O’Sullivan (pictured) global sales and marketing director, said: “China has woken up to the containment market and is now using more valves for transfers of potent materials, rather than just sterile transfers for vaccine manufacturing.

“We’ve been working for many years in Asia educating the region about containment of hazardous ingredients and they have realised its value.

“The growth in Asia could mean that one day the East will match the West, where the US and Europe are currently the biggest single marketplaces for sales our containment transfer devices.

“We have also opened new sales channels in South America and further parts of Europe and are reaping the rewards from building our network of agents across the world.

“Our profile has been boosted, particularly in the US, by our attendance at Interphex in New York, which is the world’s largest expo for bio-pharma technology.”