The Chinese pharmaceutical firms are increasingly looking out for the local reagent suppliers so as to cut the costs as well as delivery times. Growing import tariffs because of the US-China trade war, as well as concerns with regard to access, are indeed spurring the Chinese companies to get products from local rivals such as Shanghai Titan Scientific and Nanjing Vazyme Biotech. This transition towards more Chinese purchases is anticipated to benefit the local firms such as Titan as well as Vazyme, with annual revenue forecast to grow 22% and reach 3.5 billion Yuan for Titan and the revenue of Vazyme to rise 15% and reach 1.59 billion Yuan.
It is well to be noted that Chinese pharmaceutical firms are increasingly turning to local reagent supplies in order to cut expenditures and also reduce the delivery times. This kind of transition is being driven by rising import tariffs, which have been levied by the US, and also long-term concerns when it comes to access to critical supplies. Western reagent suppliers like Merck as well as Thermo Fisher Scientific have traditionally dominated the market in China. However, the local manufacturers such as Shanghai Titan Scientific as well as Nanjing Vazyme Biotech are now being sought by the Chinese firms.
This strength towards more Chinese purchases of reagents has been speeding up since April 2025, when China raised duties on US goods to 125%. This kind of tariff increase has spurred Chinese pharmaceutical companies to look out for domestic alternatives. Ma Xingquan, who happens to be the co-president of ChemPartner PharmTech, noted that the timeliness requirement for reagents happens to be high, thereby making the local production more advantageous.
It is well to be noted that Titan and Vazyme are both anticipated to report robust sales growth in 2025. The annual revenue of Titan is forecast to grow 22% and will reach 3.5 billion yuan, whereas Vazyme’s revenue is set to grow by 15% to 1.59 billion yuan. This kind of market growth is attributed to the growing demand for locally made reagents. Merck, along with Roche, is also expanding its reagent production facilities across China in order to meet the growing demand.
But switching to local reagents is not without barriers. The regulatory approval process can get disrupted because of the requirement for material consistency as well as access to processes or technology, which may still be safeguarded under patent or not disclosed. In spite of these barriers, the transition towards more Chinese purchases of reagents is anticipated to continue and is going to be driven by government support for both pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors and also growth within the research and development process.
