Zuellig Pharma buys licensed Hangzhou facility to boost China clinical sourcing
What's the deal? Zuellig Pharma has acquired a specialised clinical supply facility in Hangzhou, China, to strengthen its clinical sourcing capabilities. The deal value was not disclosed. The facility holds a Drug Distribution License, letting Zuellig Pharma source comparator drugs and concomitant medications locally.
Why now? China's 2026 drug-administration rules set out requirements for importing investigational and comparator drugs, raising the value of local regulatory and supply-chain expertise. The license gives Zuellig Pharma a locally licensed route that eases compliance and reduces cross-border procurement friction for trials.
What's the endgame? The Hangzhou site sits in the Yangtze River Delta's biopharmaceutical corridor and connects to Zuellig Pharma's Beijing depot and its network of more than 45 clinical depots. It carries cold-chain capacity across 15–25°C, 2–8°C, and -20°C ranges.
"By bringing local sourcing, and distribution capabilities together, we are enabling our life science partners to conduct both domestic studies and multi-regional clinical trials," said David Christmas, executive vice president of distribution and clinical trial support.
The wider build-out: The acquisition extends a regional push. Zuellig Pharma opened a clinical-trial support centre in South Korea in December 2025 and strengthened its Japan depot network in March 2026.
Zuellig Pharma's clinical trial support business serves 29 of the world's top 50 pharmaceutical companies and 18 of the top 50 contract research organisations. The century-old company spans 18 markets with over 12,000 employees.
The signal: Asia, and China in particular, is drawing more global clinical research. As local rules tighten, logistics providers are racing to build in-market, compliant infrastructure — a targeted expansion rather than a market-changing deal.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
