9th November 2020 –
Merck is first international company to pilot the new customs clearance process
On 6 Nov 2020, Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with Donghao Lansheng (Group) Co., Ltd. The agreement, which was signed at the 3rd China International Import Expo in Shanghai, will pilot a new process that facilitates custom clearance of research materials for biomedical innovation and analytical use. This means that Merck will be able to process shipments with fewer application and technical dossier requirements
Steve Vermant, managing director, Life Science, at Merck in China, says “This new policy sets an important precedent for future collaborations building on the strong support from the Chinese government.”
As the first and only company to be accepted by the Shanghai government to pilot this new process, Merck will be given priority to import, in collaboration with Donghao Lansheng, a certain number of research materials under the Q-license, a customs clearance permit for importing medicine. The new process will enable the license application and allow multiple shipments to China under a single license. This is an important new benefit, as each license previously allowed only one-time shipments, and a single license will now be permitted to make multiple shipments.
The biomedical field was designated a strategic focus area in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan and will continue to play a major role in the development of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021.
The collaboration between Merck and Donghao Langsheng improves the availability of global research materials in supporting biomedical innovation in China, helping to significantly ease importation barriers on key materials needed for specialized research and ensuring more efficient flow of supplies critical to the development of life-saving therapies. The pilot further opens up the potential for Merck to propel Q-license exemption in the future, which would provide significant benefits to customers
