EU restrictions have little effect, and Chinese companies are willing to “go global”

With the growing popularity of the concept of green return and the growing emphasis on health throughout the world, the pace of the growth of China's import and export of Chinese medicine is gradually accelerating. According to the statistics of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products (hereinafter referred to as the Medical Insurance Association), foreign trade of Chinese medicine products has grown steadily from January to September this year, with total import and export volume of US$2.198 billion, an increase of 39.31% year-on-year.

“From the overall view of foreign trade in traditional Chinese medicine, the export-led trade pattern remains.” Ni Rulin, President of the Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce, told reporters that the prices of Chinese herbal medicines and decoction pieces have continued to rise sharply since the beginning of last year, and price factors have become the driving force for import and export of Chinese medicine products. The main reason for growth. In the first three quarters of this year, the export of Chinese medicine reached 1.679 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 41.89 percent year-on-year; imports reached 519 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 31.57% year-on-year.

EU restrictions have little effect

Customs statistics show that due to the end of the transition period of the “Regulations on Traditional Plant Drug Registration Procedures” (hereinafter abbreviated as “the Directive”) in May this year, some Chinese enterprises rushed to complete the export transaction ahead of schedule of the “Directive” on April 30. In the first four months, the export of proprietary Chinese medicines to the EU increased irrationally, and exports increased by 102% year-on-year. Since May, the "Directive" has begun to show its negative impact on the export of proprietary Chinese medicines. In May, the monthly export growth rate quickly fell back to 6%, while in June, the monthly exports showed a dramatic drop of 48%. The monthly export slid slightly under a huge downward trend, down 40.13% year-on-year.

However, several Chinese patent medicine exporters interviewed by reporters at the Canton Fair widely reported that the EU's restrictions on Chinese herbal medicines have had little impact on my exports.

Relevant person in charge of the GP Group said that although there is currently no Chinese patent medicine product that has received approval from the EU member states, in 2010, the Chinese medicine exports to the EU were US$250 million and the proprietary Chinese medicines limited by the Directive accounted for only US$12.52 million. In addition to proprietary Chinese medicines, China's unilateral formula granules, extracts, and Chinese Herbal Pieces still have much room for development. This has little effect on the scale of Chinese medicine exports.

It is understood that the "EU Directive" promulgated by the European Union in 2004 stipulates that traditional botanical products that have been sold as "dietary supplements" in the EU market will be allowed to be sold for another 7 years. During this period, traditional botanicals will be allowed to simplify the application. Ways to get the legal status of medicines.

Lanzhou Foci Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which once took the lead in breaking through the European Union's regulations, displayed its special “Concentrated Pills” series of Chinese patent medicine products at the current Canton Fair. Tian Yanan, a member of the International Trade Department of the company's marketing center, introduced that his products are currently exported to 27 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Australia, and they have passed certification in Japan. , achieved drug registration in Canada. In the first three quarters of this year, its export value has reached more than 4 million US dollars.

The person in charge of China Medicine & Health Products Co., Ltd. pointed out that entering the EU with low cost performance is the most critical factor. “In the short term, because the export volume of proprietary Chinese medicines is not large, the impact on the export data of the entire Chinese medicine is temporarily limited.” He said that due to history, cultural traditions, and geographical reasons, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in China are the major exporters of proprietary Chinese medicines in China. The share of exports to the EU is very small.

The willingness to go out is not small

"For Chinese medicine to go to the world, we must first carry out the dissemination of Chinese medicine culture, so that all countries in the world can fully understand Chinese medicine. Based on the fact that we already have many Chinese medicine companies actively explore the 'going out' strategy, take a number of measures to open up the international market and take the initiative to attack The recognition of Chinese medicine in the international market has been greatly enhanced.” Ni Rulin said that although Chinese medicine has a huge market opportunity in the world, for a long time, traditional Chinese medicine can only open up in the geopolitical, cultural, and domestic Japan and Southeast Asian markets.

It is worth mentioning that as a major export market of Chinese medicine products in Japan, after the great earthquake in Japan, my Chinese medicine health product was once blocked by its exports, showing a sharp drop, which was once as high as 50%, which directly led to a negative growth in cumulative exports in the first half of the year. Status, but from June onwards, my Chinese medicine products began to show a rapid recovery of the growth trend, from January to September the cumulative increase in exports to Japan reached 32.09%, exports amounted to 278 million US dollars.

The reporter found that the majority of Chinese medicine buyers come from Southeast Asia or Hong Kong. The person in charge of the Singapore Medicare Association also told reporters that China is a major country in Singapore's imports of Chinese medicine, and there is no further barrier between cultural identity. The relevant staff of the Medical Insurance Association pointed out that at present, Hong Kong, China is still the largest destination for my Chinese medicine exports. As the transit point for Chinese patent medicines for global exports, Hong Kong, China is the region where my Chinese patent medicine exports are most concentrated, and the export ratio is as high as 41.7%.

It is reported that Beijing Tong Ren Tang Group has established a chain of products, channels, production, R&D, and cultural output through overseas establishment of chain stores, image stores, etc., and uses a new marketing model to bring Chinese herbal health products to all parts of the world. Since the establishment of the first store in Hong Kong, Tong Ren Tang has actively expanded its overseas sales channels. By 2010, it has established 47 retail terminals in 16 countries and regions, and established an overseas e-commerce platform. In addition, Tong Ren Tang has also established R&D and production bases in Hong Kong. Its products, such as Angong Niuhuang Pills, are well known in Singapore, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries and regions.

At the same time, there are some pharmaceutical companies that are not satisfied with the current traditional channels of foreign trade in traditional Chinese medicine and are actively advancing from the traditional Southeast Asian market to the more demanding European and American markets, and have achieved gratifying results. Relevant person in charge of GPHL said that Chinese medicine products should be fully developed in the world, and its fundamental way is to innovate in heritage, increase technical content, use high-tech means to transform the production technology and varieties of existing Chinese medicine products, and implement local cooperation with exporting countries. Technology research and development to meet the requirements of foreign pharmaceutical regulations. Guangzhou Qixing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has cooperated with the Belarusian Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Drug Research Center to conduct clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine products and gained recognition in the international market.

"As the global pharmaceutical industry continues to change, the Chinese pharmaceutical companies are facing more and more new opportunities and challenges in participating in international competition. How to expand the pace of 'going out' in the new round of opening to the outside world, and timely investment through The acquisition of internationally advanced technologies and talents through mergers and acquisitions, cooperation, etc., and the acquisition of a new commanding height in the international pharmaceutical industry are the key issues for achieving the leap-forward development of the pharmaceutical industry and are also strategic issues that need to be solved.” Ni Rulin said that the chamber of commerce is stepping up To develop a strategic study on the “go global” problem in the pharmaceutical industry, and propose that relevant departments set up research topics on this issue as soon as possible, organize related personnel to discuss and formulate plans for the overall strategic development of the pharmaceutical industry, and follow-up and implementation.