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WuXi AppTec

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WuXi AppTec
Company typePublic
SSE: 603259
IndustryContract Research Organizations
Pharmaceutical
Biopharmaceutical
Medical Devices
Founded2000; 24 years ago (2000)
HeadquartersShanghai, China
Key people
Ge Li
SubsidiariesWuXi Biologics
Websitewww.wuxiapptec.com Edit this at Wikidata

WuXi AppTec (WuXi is pronounced as Wu-shee) is a global pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device company.

History

[edit]

WuXi PharmaTech was founded in December 2000 in Shanghai by organic chemist Ge Li.[1][2]

The company opened chemistry facilities in Tianjin in 2007. In 2008, WuXi PharmaTech acquired AppTec Laboratory Services Inc., a US-based company founded in 2001 with expertise in medical-device and biologics testing and with facilities in St. Paul, MN; Philadelphia, PA; and Atlanta, GA. In the same year the company was renamed WuXi AppTec.[3][4] WuXi AppTec opened a toxicology facility in Suzhou in 2009.[5]

WuXi AppTec's subsidiary, WuXi STA, opened a large-scale manufacturing facility in Jinshan in 2010. The company began a biologics discovery, development, and manufacturing operation in Shanghai and Wuxi City in 2011. At the same year, WuXi AppTec acquired MedKey, a China-based clinical research company,[6] and Abgent, a San Diego company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of antibodies for biological research and drug discovery.[7] In 2012, WuXi AppTec opened a chemistry facility in Wuhan and a GMP biologics drug-substance facility in Wuxi City. That year WuXi AppTec also entered into a joint venture with MedImmune, the biologics arm of AstraZeneca, to co-develop MEDI5117, an anti-IL6 antibody for rheumatoid arthritis for the Chinese market.[8] In 2013, WuXi AppTec formed a joint venture with the global clinical contract research organization PRA International (now called PRA Health Sciences) to build a clinical research business in China.[9]

In 2014, WuXi AppTec opened a new biologics biosafety testing facility in Suzhou. In the same year, WuXi AppTec acquired XenoBiotic Laboratories, Inc. (XBL), a contract research organization with 27 years of operation that provides bioanalytical, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetic services to the pharmaceutical, animal health, and agrochemical industries.[10]

In 2015, the company launched the subsidiary WuXi NextCODE following the acquisition of NextCODE Health, a bioinformatics startup company which emerged from the Icelandic firm deCODE genetics in 2013.[11]

In 2015, WuXi AppTec completed its merger with WuXi Merger Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of New WuXi Life Science Limited. As a result of the merger, New WuXi Life Science Limited acquired the company in a cash transaction valued at approximately US$3.3 billion.[12] In 2016, WuXi STA opened a new campus in Changzhou[13] and operations in San Diego. In the same year, WuXi AppTec acquired Crelux GmbH, a structure-based drug discovery provider based in Munich, Germany.[14] In 2017, WuXi AppTec acquired HD Biosciences (HDB), a biology focused preclinical drug discovery contract research organization (CRO).[15]

In January 2024, WuXi AppTec's share price fell on news that the United States Congress had introduced legislation to block any federal government contracts with the company due to national security concerns.[16][17][18] The concerns stem from allegations, denied by the company, that it has worked closely with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as a part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s military-civil fusion strategy.[19] Members of the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party subsequently called for sanctions against WuXi AppTec.[20] WuXi AppTec denied any affiliation with the CCP and PLA and launched a lobbying campaign in the US in response.[21] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of State, and Director of National Intelligence, WuXi AppTec transferred US intellectual property to the PLA without consent.[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Company Profile/ leadership". WuXi AppTec. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Company Profile/ History". WuXi AppTec. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Our History". WuXi AppTec. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ^ Nagaraj, Amulya; Shen, Samuel (4 January 2008). "WuXi to acquire U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company". reuters.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Our History". WuXi AppTec. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. ^ WuXi Acquires Chinese Clinical CROs MedKey and Jiecheng Archived 2022-06-26 at the Wayback Machine 24 October 2011 www.genengnews.com, accessed 28 March 2021
  7. ^ WuXi PharmaTech Acquires Abgent, a Leading Producer of Biological Research Reagents Archived 2024-03-20 at the Wayback Machine 14 October 2011 www.fiercebiotech.com, accessed 28 March 2021
  8. ^ MedImmune, WuXi form joint venture Archived 2024-03-20 at the Wayback Machine 10 September 2012 www.biospectrumasia.com, accessed 28 March 2021
  9. ^ WuXi and PRA form Chinese joint venture Archived 2021-01-11 at the Wayback Machine 8 January 2013 www.pmlive.com, accessed 28 March 2021
  10. ^ WuXi PharmaTech acquires XenoBiotic Labs Archived 2015-10-24 at the Wayback Machine 1 October 2014 www.thepharmaletter.com, accessed 28 March 2021
  11. ^ Fidler, Ben (23 October 2013). "DeCode Spinout, NextCode Health, Launches With $15M From Arch, Polaris". Xconomy. Boston. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  12. ^ Conyers advises New WuXi Life Science Ltd. in connection with US$3.3 billion buyout Archived 2021-04-14 at the Wayback Machine www.conyers.com, accessed 29 March 2021
  13. ^ WuXi AppTec's STA Subsidiary Opens New Campus In Changzhou Archived 2022-11-13 at the Wayback Machine 4 March 2016 www.biospace.com, accessed 29 March 2021
  14. ^ WuXi Apptec acquire Crelux GmbH Archived 2024-03-20 at the Wayback Machine 19 April 2016 biopharma-asia.com, accessed 29 March 2021
  15. ^ WuXi AppTec acquires HD Biosciences Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine 20 January 2017 www.centerwatch.com, accessed 29 March 2021
  16. ^ "WuXi Bio Denies Military Ties After Shares Slumped on US Bill". Bloomberg News. 2024-01-29. Archived from the original on 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  17. ^ "WuXi AppTec Shares Continue Slide After Company Calls U.S. Draft Bill Findings Inaccurate". The Wall Street Journal. January 28, 2024. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "WuXi Company Shares Tumble on U.S. Bill Aimed at Chinese Biotech". The Wall Street Journal. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  19. ^ Cheung, Sunny; Hope, Arran; Mattis, Peter (February 9, 2024). "Red Genes: Assessing WuXi AppTec's Ties to the Party-Army-State in China". Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2024-02-10. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  20. ^ Martina, Michael (February 12, 2024). "US lawmakers call for sanctions on China's WuXi AppTec biotech firm". Reuters. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Chinese pharma group lobbies against US biotech crackdown". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  22. ^ "China's WuXi AppTec shared US client's data with Beijing, US intelligence officials told senators". Reuters. March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  23. ^ WuXi PharmaTech Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2012 Results
  24. ^ WuXi PharmaTech Announces First-Quarter 2013