Quintiles will establish regional headquarters for China in Shanghai. The company will also significantly its expand lab testing capabilities in China through a joint venture with Shanghai Clinical Research Centre (SCRC).

“With its burgeoning economy and growing healthcare needs for its 1.3 billion citizens, China exemplifies the opportunities and challenges of the New Health,” said Quintiles executive chairman Dennis Gillings, CBE. “By broadening our investment and infrastructure here, Quintiles is ready to partner with our biopharma customers as they look to realize China’s potential.”

To provide the infrastructure essential for its growth strategy in China, Quintiles is investing $14 million to establish a new 43,000-sq.-ft. HQ in Shanghai to serve China and nearby Asian countries. The office in Feng Lin Science Park is designed to achieve LEED Gold accreditation; it is expected to accommodate more than 450 employees in the next five years.

“These investments and agreements demonstrate our commitment to this District and to China,” said Ling Zhen, general manager for Quintiles’ operations in China. “Quintiles recognizes the unique needs of our customers in China. By collaborating with SCRC in labs we can help local and international biopharma companies develop new and better medicines to serve China’s enormous unmet medical needs.”

The Quintiles-SCRC collaboration follows last year’s launch of Kun Tuo, Quintiles’ local contract research organization, built to help local and global biopharma companies achieve successful registration of medicines in China. Quintiles commenced operations in China in 1997, and today has existing offices in Beijing, Dalian, Hong Kong and Shanghai, with employees and capabilities to serve all major population centers and study sites across China.