China has been a magnet for the big global pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare firms as growth slowed in Europe and the United States. It is the largest emerging drug market and is set to be the world's second largest pharmaceutical market by 2015.

It has been forecast that the market will grow by 17.7 per cent annually through 2017.With an ageing population bringing increased demand for healthcare and life sciences and with the global need for affordable APIs increasing, the salience of China within the pharmaceutical field has never been greater.

The Chinese pharmaceutical ingredients market is undergoing a great deal of change. There is now an increased global need for affordable APIs and China is currently the go-to destination with by far the largest share.

As profit margins continue to drop in Western markets, multinational drug companies are looking to emerging markets like China for future growth. China has increasingly become a focal point of the pharma world.

Fuelled by increasing healthcare demands within its own borders as well as by international companies looking for manufacturing facilities, China's hunger for foreign partnerships and high-quality pharmaceutical ingredients presents great opportunities to international suppliers. Recent changes to China's healthcare system have made the market even more attractive for foreign multinational drug companies.

The diverse and exciting industry provides the perfect environment for CPhI China 2014.

CPhI, ICSE and BioPh China 2014, as a super global pharmaceutical trading platform, will be staged at Shanghai New International Expo Center from June 26 to 28 together with P-MEC China - Machinery, Equipment, Technology; ICSE China - Contract Services; InnoPack Packaging; LABWorld China 2014, dedicated brand for laboratory, analytical & biotech equipment; BioPh Bio-Pharmaceuticals and features areas for Natural Extracts and EP CLean Tech. All these events will provide integrated solutions for industry professionals. The event is being organised by UBM Live.

The CPhI China 2014 will be a big global event where about 2500 exhibitors from about 108 countries showcase their products and services to the world. It is expected that the event will attract at least 30000 visitors and business executives from different countries. The number of exhibitors from India is expected to be 39, whereas from other countries will be 218.

 It will present a larger platform with more exhibitors and more comprehensive product categories in 2014. It will provide a superb business opportunity for pharmaceutical enterprises to further explore the international market.

Talking about the novel features this year, Anne Schumacher,Event Manager, Pharma- High Growth Markets at UBM says "CPhI China will host the 5th annual CPhI 'China and World' CEO Summit, a further networking event with substantial support from a vibrant speaker team of government officials, regulatory agencies and leading pharmaceutical companies. Titled “The Strategies and Actions of China’s Pharmaceutical Industry in the New 3.0 Times”, the conference is one of the show’s main attractions and has been designed to educate the industry and provide vital information to those looking to break into China’s attractive pharmaceutical market".

According to organisers, with the changes in the pattern of the global pharmaceutical market as well as the impact of strong domestic demand, domestic pharmaceutical companies are seeking new opportunities in the development of the industry chain. CPhI China will explore the six zonings further, trying to maximize the target visitors for each zone and improve the exhibiting effect of the exhibitors.

As a fine tradition of close linkage between exhibition and event, CPhI China will hold nearly 200 activities on-site, from high-end forums to latest technology sharing seminars, aiming at building a high-class bridge for exhibitors and buyers to communicate, negotiate as well as trade.

The exhibitors profile include active pharmaceutical ingredients,intermediates, fine chemicals, excipients and drug formulations, plant extracts, animal extracts, CRO, CMO, biopharmaceuticals, finished dosage; API equipment, preparation equipment, pharmaceutical packaging machine, packaging material, laboratory equipment, environmental protection & clean tech.

Visitors profile include production management, facilities/plant management, purchasing/procurement, process engineering, quality assurance/control engineering, technical management, packaging management, engineering (design) management, compliance/ regulatory; scientist/chemist research, research & development, formulation development, logistics/ distribution,industry engineering, laboratory managment, corporate management.

The event will provide unrivalled access to the pharmaceutical industry from which to launch new products and increase market knowledge, meet with other key decision-makers who are searching for business opportunities, partnership, new products and services that only CPhI China can offer.

CPhI China is attracting more and more visitors each year. On average, over 70 per cent of all visitors have purchasing power. Decision-makers from all sectors of the pharmaceutical industry will be searching for new products, services and deals.

The latest industry trends and updates are deliberated upon at the interactive conferences that are regularly held here. Topical trade meetings amongst potential business partners are organized during the event as well.

The CPhI China 2013 hosted a record breaking more than 2,400 companies both local and international and attracted more than 30,000 visitors from 133 countries throughout the world.

On-site at CPhI China 2013, the “China and World” Medical Forum proved highly insightful and valuable for attendees. Having received substantial support from a vibrant speaker team of government and leading pharmaceutical companies, the forum showcased hot topic seminars and conferences. These covered the latest policies and regulations within the pharmaceutical industry and the practical applications of new technology. Furthermore, the Buyer Sourcing Event, with more than 60 buyers, 280 sessions and over 90 per cent successful match rate, has provided a catalyst for increased business connections in the region.

This result showed that CPhI China is now at the centre of pharmaceutical business connections within the region, says Anne Schumacher.