Healthcare Sector Woos Investors (China)
This article was originally published in PharmAsia News
Executive Summary
China's health care sector is quickly emerging as a hot new target for foreign investors. Venture Capital firm FAV predicts that China will have the sixth-ranked health care market in the world by 2010. FAV also projects an industry turnover worth over $28 billion by that year. The growing market is being fueled by an aging population and an overall economic growth rate averaging between 8 percent and 9 percent since 1978. Domestic researcher ChinaVenture says health care venture capital investment rose to $31 million for the third quarter. That figure is up almost 200 percent from the second quarter of 2007. The healthy inflow of cash into the sector has also encouraged seven initial public offerings by Chinese health care companies in foreign markets so far this year. Despite the growing market, analysts say the industry can still be a risky investment, particularly when it comes to pharmaceutical research. However, insiders point out that Chinese drug companies have the advantage of an efficient drug approval system and lower R&D costs. (Click here for more