Sundia MediTech and 2 Other CRO Companies Granted Express Customs Clearance Privilege in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, June 25 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- In the afternoon of June 22, Shanghai Pudong Customs, Pudong International Airport Customs and Zhangjiang Group Co. held ceremony in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park to initiate the Express Customs Clearance for 3 biopharmaceutical R&D outsourcing (CRO) companies. The selected CRO companies are Sundia MediTech, Huiyuan Biotechnology, and Frontage Laboratories from Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. This event marked the formal start of the trial operation of a new customs clearance model for CRO companies in Zhangjiang.

Sundia's Chairman and CEO Dr. Xiaochuan Wang and Executive VP Dr. Xiongwei Shi attended the ceremony with representatives from many biopharmaceutical companies. Ms. Liu Zhengyi, Deputy Director of the Pudong District Government was at the ceremony to extend her congratulations. Mr. Ma Yan, Director of Pudong Customs, Mr. Shi Wenyan, Director of Pudong International Airport Customs, and Mr. Liu Xiaolong, Executive VP of Zhangjiang Group Co. signed a Letter of Intention for Customs' Cooperation to Support Development of Zhangjiang Pharma Valley.

Earlier this year, China Central Government adopted a policy to "encourage service outsourcing industry". High level officials, including Premier Wen Jiabao called on strong support to this industry. As a key part of service outsourcing, CRO companies in Zhangjiang get more and more attention. With growing innovative capability and national influence, the reputation and strength of Zhangjiang Pharma Valley has become more prominent as it turns into the most developed CRO base in China.

With the rapid growth of the CRO industry, customs clearance efficiency becomes a significant bottleneck for CRO companies due to high import/export volume, numerous categories, new products, strict storage requirements, etc. Fast customs clearance has become the most pressing need of CRO companies. Therefore, Shanghai Pudong Customs and Pudong International Airport Customs jointly proposed selecting some CRO companies in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park for trial operation of express clearance, which implements various measures including "declaration in advance and clearance upon goods arrival", "archiving system of classification and price review", "assured clearance" and "24-hour appointed clearance", to establish a new customs clearance model for CRO companies and achieve a balance between strict supervision and efficient operation.

The first 3 CRO companies were recommended by Zhangjiang Park to governing customs after considering various factors such as company reputation, track record, size, and status. Then they were selected by customs after strict review and screening regarding the companies' credibility, internal management system, laboratory qualification and customs clearance record.

At present, customs is gradually putting more effort into the trial operation. The next step will be expanding the operation within Zhangjiang Park on the basis of previous experience so that more companies can benefit from the new measures, and better service can be provided to help the growth of CRO industry.

"This is really a big step by Chinese customs to support the growth of Sundia and other CRO companies. We are encouraged by this and many other measures the Chinese Government put together to help the development of CRO industry," commented by Dr. Xiaochuan Wang, Sundia's Chairman and CEO.

About Sundia MediTech Company:

Sundia is a leading integrated pharmaceutical contract research organization (CRO) company based in Shanghai, China. Sundia provides services to biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, ranging from early hit screening, biological service, lead optimization, DMPK, candidate preclinical development, formulation development, API manufacture, and regulatory submission. For more information, please visit http://www.sundia.com .

CONTACT: Dr. Ming Tang, +86-159-2100-8291, mtang@sundia.com

Web site: http://www.sundia.com/

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