CCCMHPIE: Data of China’s Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade in 2017

Data

According to the data statistics of China customs, in 2017, China’s amount of import and export of medicines and health products reached USD 116.676 billion, growing by 12.64% year on year, wherein, the amount of export was USD 60.799 billion, reversed the decline of the previous year, and grew by 9.44%, the highest in the recent five years; the amount of import was USD 55.877 billion, growing by 16.34%; the foreign trade surplus was USD 4.922 billion, down by 34.60%. Overall, in 2017, the international market demands increased, China’s supply-side reform achieved initial success, export of medicines saw volume decrease and price increase, and amount of export rose steadily, while China’s domestic demand remained high, and import maintained fast growth.

The amount of export of TCMs was USD 3.640 billion, growing by 2.07% year on year; the plant extract market was active, with the amount of export reaching USD 2.010 billion, growing by 4.33% year on year; the amount of export of Chinese patent medicines was USD 250 million, growing by 11.03% year on year, while the export of traditional Chinese medicinal materials and decoction pieces continued to show negative growth, down by 2.23% year on year.

The amount of export of Western medicines was USD 35.456 billion, growing by 12.62%, wherein, the amount of export of APIs was USD 29.117 billion, growing by 13.71% year on year. The environmental protection cost of API enterprises continued to rise, driving the supply side to shrink, outdated capacity to gradually quit, and competition situation of quality enterprises to continue to improve. The amount of export of preparations was USD 3.456 billion, growing by 8.32% year on year.

The amount of export of medical devices was USD 21.703 billion, growing by 5.84% year on year, wherein, medical dressings, disposable consumables, diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, healthcare and rehabilitation equipment, and dental equipment all achieved steady growth, separately by 2.97%, 9.53%, 4.11%, 6.29% and 17.00%.

The amount of import of pharmaceutical products was USD 55.877 billion, growing by 16.34% year on year, wherein, the amount of import of Western medicines, the top of the imported pharmaceutical products in China, was USD 17.157 billion, growing by 21.66%; the amount of import of hospital diagnostic and therapeutic equipment was USD 14.631 billion, growing by 9.60% year on year. Imported drugs have started to pile into the Chinese market with the formal implementation of the "priority review" system in China.

Characteristics： 9 Characteristics of China’s Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade in 2017

Future

Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises continue to increase their capacity in terms of international registration and certification, R&D, international marketing, and worldwide resource combination, etc., product pattern and market pattern in the pharmaceutical export are experiencing deep changes, and the overall pharmaceutical international trade environment is good.

Favorable factors include: demands from major markets including the U.S., EU, and India, etc. revive and are expected to maintain stable growth; export of preparations, and diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, etc. to the European and American markets is significantly quickened; rigid demands for bulk APIs and medical devices on the global pharmaceutical market have not changed, and export volume and price gradually rebound with the global economic recovery.

Uncertain factors of the South American and African markets, etc. still exist and impacts of pharmaceutical trade frictions cannot be ignored. With the implementation of the API industry plan during the 13^th Five-year Plan period, China’s pharmaceutical industry will develop towards more orderliness, higher technological content, environmental protection, resource saving, higher added value, and downstream extension, to be more conductive to the continuous optimization and upgrading of the export structure. Fundamentals for the steady development of China’s pharmaceutical foreign trade are expected to continue in 2018.

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