Since the promotion of the "white list" system for special biopharmaceutical items, which was first piloted in Zhangjiang Science City, the number of enterprises incorporated into the "white list" has increased to 13, with 11 located in Pudong. This has stimulated the development of Shanghai's biopharmaceutical industry.

Zhangjiang Science City has gathered a large number of biopharmaceutical enterprises. Faced with a high volume of imports, high-speed customs clearance requirements, and products with biological safety risks, a special item entry facilitation pilot was launched in Zhangjiang Science City in July 2020. This led to the introduction of a "white list" system for biopharmaceutical companies.

Under this system, when special items for research and development imported by biological and pharmaceutical companies included in the pilot program arrive, the Shanghai Customs carry out quarantine inspections and expedite clearance. 

Subsequently, various departments carry out strict supervision at different stages to form an effective regulatory mechanism. This mechanism ensures full chain supervision of inbound special items from ports to local, improving the efficiency of customs clearance.

Companies such as CARsgen, FOSUNKite, and JW Therapeutics are currently included in the system.

"The company has passed a risk assessment and comprehensive evaluation, which eliminates the need for repeated evaluations for multiple imports within a year. Under the joint regulatory mechanism, the company has improved the management of the entire lifecycle of special item imports, even the disposal of waste can be traced." said Sun Jing, the executive director of JW Therapeutics.

Customs officials inspect special research and development items imported by biopharmaceutical companies in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat account: pdnews]