1. In Vivo
  2. >>Global Vision

Journey East: How Chinese Returnees Build Global-Bound Biopharmas

From Money To Talent To Collaboration, Challenges Keep Coming

 
• By Brian Yang

As Chinese returnees transform their startups to fully-fledged biopharma operations with a full product lineup and the global market in sight, the journey has been filled with challenges. Based on interviews and on-the-ground reporting, this new series takes a closer look at several companies' experiences.

Business uncertainty and risk showing a winding road high above the clouds showing the concept of danger and challenges faced in business and the corporate world of finance and financial services.
CHINESE BIOTECH TO BIOPHARMA JOURNEY FILLED WITH CHALLENGES • Source: Shutterstock

After spending eight years with Merck & Co., Inc. in the US as a senior researcher, Zhongru Gan felt he was ready to start something new. In 1994, Gan founded a small biotech, Gantech Pharma, in the US but the next year returned to China knowing there was an acute need for high-level life science researchers like himself.

The first thing he did upon returning was collaborate with his classmate from Peking University, Yikui Lee, then CEO of...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Global Vision

Turning Defense Into Attack: Snapshots Of A Changing Medtech Market And How To Respond

 
• By Ashley Yeo

Against a backdrop of shifting trade policies, the end of multilateral market approaches and renewed focus on supply chain resilience, medtechs are doubling down on innovation in products and processes, and keeping unmet needs and outcomes in the center of the target.

UK Bets On Regulatory Innovation As Competitive Advantage In Synthetic Biology

 
• By David Wild

The UK government has prioritized synthetic biology and created a "concierge service" for biotechs just as the US cuts science funding.

Chinese Firms Build Obesity Clinical Pipeline But Face Wider Hurdles

 
• By Xu Hu

Despite the ability to initiate clinical trials quickly and having strong manufacturing capacity, Chinese companies are facing multiple challenges in the obesity space.

Unpacking The Impact Of Trump’s Tariffs On Drug Pricing And Production

 
• By Ed Silverman

Big pharma plans to invest billions of dollars in US manufacturing to avoid tariffs proposed by the Trump Administration. However, the implementation of these plans may be delayed due to regulatory complexities and rising costs from tariffs, potentially impacting drug prices for consumers.

More from In Vivo

EU Medtech Outlook: The View From MedTech Europe Experts

 
• By Ashley Yeo

MedTech Forum 2025 was less MDR-focused than in previous years, as macro issues and exogenous threats were forced further into the center of medtech business thinking.

‘Confident In Lorundrostat’s Promise’: Mineralys CEO Talks Trials And Next Steps

 
• By Sushmita Panda

In a conversation with In Vivo, CEO Jon Congleton discusses Mineralys’s data-rich journey toward an NDA filing, the significance of recent trial wins and how its candidate may offer a dual benefit in blood pressure and renal protection.

BioBytes: Qubit Pharmaceuticals Unveils Quantum AI Model For Drug Discovery

 
• By David Wild

Qubit Pharmaceuticals and Sorbonne University launched a quantum AI model that could slash drug synthesis requirements and enable exploration of previously undruggable targets.