The 2024 International Biomedical Industry Innovation Conference Beijing Forum concluded in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town) on Oct 26.

Lasting for four days, this year's forum hosted 11 thematic forums and 23 specialized seminars, exchange meetings, and matchmaking sessions. A total of 389 companies from the pharmaceutical and health industry, including international leading enterprises, domestic top 50 enterprises, and companies in cutting-edge fields, attended the event.

This forum brought together 188 experts and scholars, officials from drug regulatory authorities, academicians, industry organization leaders, and top foreign company executives from the United States, Germany, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore, and Brazil. They delivered keynote speeches and discussed issues related with the innovative drug research and development for international markets, the high-quality development of innovative medical devices, cutting-edge drug research and development, AI-enabled industry development, and hot topics in ICH guidelines, with the aim of building a communication bridge between pharmaceutical evaluation institutions and industry enterprises.

At this forum, eight multinational pharmaceutical companies announced their plan to establish new research or innovation institutions in Beijing. Among them, 6 companies have chosen to set up operations in the BioPark, Beijing E-Town.

In addition, Beijing E-Town has engaged in negotiations with 310 participating companies that have not yet established a presence in Beijing, resulting in 120 companies confirming their cooperation intentions, with a total intended investment exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).

Meanwhile, the Center for Information of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) was unveiled in the BioPark on the first day of the forum, marking the sixth center the NMPA, China's top medical products administrator, has set up in Beijing E-Town.

The BioPark in Beijing E-Town

The BioPark in Beijing E-Town is guided by the principles of innovation, internationalization, and sharing, and aims to build itself into an internationally influential hub for innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry. It is expected to serve as the first stop for global pharmaceutical innovation talents to start businesses in China, a demonstration area for AI empowerment applications in the national medical and health industry, and a pilot field for the implementation of national policies on innovative pharmaceutical reforms.

Over the first three quarters of this year, Beijing E-Town has welcomed 253 pharmaceutical and health companies to settle in the area. Currently, it has gathered nearly 5,000 various pharmaceutical and health enterprises, establishing a complete industrial chain system from research and development to production, services and sales. The output value of the pharmaceutical and health industry accounts for approximately half of Beijing's total.

By 2025, the scale of the biotechnology and major health industries in the area is estimated to reach 200 billion yuan.