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GROWTH MARKETS outsourcing By L. Garguilo IS CHINA CASTING SHADOWS ON OTHER OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA PACIFIC? LIFESCIENCELEADER.COM THE CMO LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2015 22 Vietnam for emerging drug sales oppor- tunities and service providers. And there's Japan, always in the mix and for years playing a positive economic role throughout APAC. For much of Big Pharma, Japan remains one of the largest sales markets. If anyone anywhere — from virtual biotech to established players — is not involved in Japan or a Japanese entity of some kind, it isn't for want of trying. China gets most of the publicity nowadays, but Japan remains the second largest pharmaceutical home-market after the U.S. and has its own breed of (increasingly aggressive and global) big and specialty pharma. Oh, and add Australia, the "Western" APAC country and a growing global model for drug discovery partnerships between academic-led research and industry. Big Pharma in the U.S. and Europe grow more interested in the down under every year. New Zealand has some opportunities as well for those looking for APAC partners or regional launching pads. And finally, depending on the geographic definition of Asia Pacific, there's India. Throughout 2014, I wrote many articles on the Indian pharma and services industry (as my publisher reminded me from pharma outsourcing services industry and healthcare markets in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, the latter where a well-known pharma executive at OPW told me he runs into more biopharma exec- utives here than at any other location in the world. In Indonesia, there is a growing CMO industry with hopes of moving into drug discovery as well. GlobalData (London) forecasts the Indonesian phar- maceutical market will climb to around $10 billion in the next five years. There's South Korea, home to "KPharma" companies like Dong-A, Green Cross, Hanmi, LG Life Sciences, and Samsung Biologics, from all reports look- ing actively for foreign partnerships, in- licensing, and other opportunities. LG and Samsung are following the road map to global relevancy drawn by successful electronics and automobile conglomer- ates. South Korea is home to pharma service providers, a healthcare system primed for clinical trials, and a growing pharmaceutical market. And by the way, Korean companies have close ties and valuable relationships with their Chinese neighbors. We can mention Taiwan, with a growing biology sector, the Philippines and t's the final session of the two- day, inaugural Outsourced Pharma West (OPW) conference in San Francisco in November, and it's packed. The aim is an elucidation of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region for biopharma companies of all kinds. We may have missed the mark. That is, unless all along, the mark really was China. Two experienced China veterans sit on the four-member panel: one an entrepreneur/ consultant, the other an entrepreneur/ executive currently at a biotech in San Francisco. The other panelists are from a global analytical services company head- quartered in Europe and an India-based outsourcing service provider. The discus- sion is lively and informative and focused on China. At the conclusion, the buzz among the panel and attendees is that the session was a success. Still, I'm a bit disappointed. However, the wise moderator, Ken Shultis of Rondaxe Consulting, said to me with a wry smile, "What did you expect?" In a word, options. ASIA PACIFIC OPTIONS For example, I've written about the bio- Is China Casting Shadows On Other Opportunities In Asia Pacific? L O U I S G A R G U I L O Executive Editor Some came looking for a prevailing regional paradigm to hang a hat on, others for specific country advantages and market idiosyncrasies, and maybe most of all, insight into selecting partners and service providers. I @Louis_Garguilo