Source: China Research Network / Xianning News Network | Date: May 20/21, 2026

As we enter the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, biomedicine has been officially listed as an emerging pillar industry in China, and special re-loans have been launched to support the development of high-end pharmaceutical equipment. The scale of China's biopharmaceutical equipment market is expected to surpass 81.3 billion RMB in 2026, with a year-on-year growth of 18.7%.

Driven by booming downstream demand, liquid preparation systems, single cone ribbon vacuum dryers and biological wastewater inactivation systems are among the most sought-after products. The penetration rate of domestically manufactured mid-to-high-end equipment has climbed from 35% in 2023 to 58% in 2026.

A number of specialized and sophisticated enterprises including Hubei Hengfeng Medical, Tofflon and CTT have delivered remarkable performance in overseas business, with their export growth rate exceeding 40%.

Against the backdrop of rapid expansion of the domestic biopharmaceutical industry, coupled with upgraded GMP compliance and accelerated domestic substitution, the biopharmaceutical equipment market is embracing tremendous opportunities for structural growth. Intelligent, sterile and eco-friendly transformation has become the general trend of the industry, promoted by policies, market demands and technological advances.

In terms of policies, the state keeps increasing support for the biomedical sector. Made in China 2025 puts forward the strategy of realizing independent controllability of high-end medical equipment. The 2025 revised Appendix on Sterility of GMP sets stricter requirements on equipment cleanliness, data traceability and online monitoring, pushing pharmaceutical manufacturers to upgrade compliant production facilities. Currently, intelligent pharmaceutical equipment meeting the latest regulatory standards has a market penetration rate of over 53%, making compliance and intelligence the core factors for equipment selection.

In the market, capacity expansion and renewal of outdated equipment by pharmaceutical enterprises generate huge market demand. Centralized procurement policies also drive pharmaceutical companies to cut costs and improve efficiency, highlighting the outstanding cost-performance advantages of domestic equipment. Domestic products hold more than 60% share in the low and mid-end market. Domestic substitution has been basically completed for liquid preparation systems, stainless steel storage tanks and other conventional products, while the localization rate of high-end equipment keeps rising steadily. The rise of emerging sectors such as biosafety, CDMO and cell therapy also fuels the demand for customized and integrated production lines.

Technologies including AI, modular integration and online monitoring greatly boost equipment upgrading. Core products are developing towards high efficiency, energy conservation, sterility, zero residue and intelligent control. Liquid preparation systems are generally equipped with automatic CIP and SIP functions, and vacuum dryers are optimized for low-temperature drying of heat-sensitive materials. Technological strength has become the key competitiveness for equipment manufacturers.

In the current competitive landscape featuring large-scale layout of leading enterprises and low-price competition among small manufacturers, Hubei Hengfeng Medical has taken a differentiated development path and focused on three core product lines: liquid preparation systems, single cone ribbon vacuum dryers and biological wastewater inactivation systems. Boasting more than 50 patents and profound manufacturing heritage, the company has grown into a benchmark player in segmented markets.

Founded on the basis of the state-owned Huangshi Medical Device Factory established in 1974, Hubei Hengfeng Medical was restructured and renamed in 2012. It is a key local enterprise, high-tech enterprise and provincial specialized and sophisticated SME in Hubei Province. The company covers an area of over 20,000 square meters and owns more than 200 sets of precision processing equipment. With around 100 staff including over 30 engineering technicians, its annual production capacity reaches 90 million RMB. It provides one-stop services ranging from R&D and manufacturing to installation, commissioning and lifelong maintenance.

The company holds complete qualifications such as special equipment manufacturing license, ISO9001 quality management system certification and GMP compliance certification. It also participates in drafting national standards for dry heat sterilizers and biological wastewater inactivation systems. Up to now, it has served more than 5,300 clients and over 50 strategic partners at home and abroad, and its products are exported to Southeast Asia, Europe, America and other regions with a solid market reputation.

Made of 316L sanitary stainless steel with polished inner surface free of dead corners, the liquid preparation system fully complies with the sterility requirements of the 2025 version of GMP. Adopting fully sealed pipelines, it effectively prevents microbial contamination. Featuring PLC automatic control, the equipment realizes automatic dosing, pH adjustment and temperature control with stable batch consistency. Built-in CIP and SIP functions enable thorough cleaning and sterilization without disassembly. The whole production process is fully sealed to avoid material volatilization and leakage, and all operational data is automatically recorded and traceable. Its modular design allows flexible combination to connect with water purification, filtration and inactivation equipment, adapting to diverse production capacities. The products have been widely used by renowned enterprises including China National Biotec Group, Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Beijing Huajin Pharmaceutical for the production of vaccines, oral liquids and biological preparations.

Developed to solve the drying difficulties of heat-sensitive and agglomerative materials, this dryer combines single cone tank, ribbon stirring and vacuum low-temperature drying technologies. Its drying efficiency is 3 to 5 times higher than traditional double cone dryers. The closely fitted ribbon achieves thorough material turnover with residue rate below 0.5%. Operating at 40-60℃ under vacuum environment, it well retains the activity of heat-sensitive substances such as albumin with activity retention rate over 98%. Integrating mixing, stirring, drying and sterilization functions, it reduces material loss caused by repeated transfer. With inner surface roughness Ra ≤ 0.4 micrometers, the equipment supports online cleaning and fully meets GMP standards. It is widely applied to process antibiotics, traditional Chinese medicine extracts, biological preparations, chemical raw materials and other materials, especially suitable for high-purity, flammable, explosive and oxidizable substances.

Compared with imported equipment, products from Hubei Hengfeng Medical are 30% to 50% lower in price, with delivery cycle shortened to within 3 months, while imported equipment usually takes 6 to 12 months for delivery. Different from small manufacturers, the company has independent core technologies, complete certifications and stable production capacity to guarantee reliable product quality. It provides 24-hour technical support, lifelong maintenance and compliance verification services, as well as customized turnkey projects to solve all difficulties in equipment selection, installation and operation for clients.

Tofflon and CTT are well-known leading enterprises in China's pharmaceutical equipment industry. Tofflon excels in delivering complete production line solutions covering the whole industrial chain. In Q1 2026, its operating revenue reached 1.108 billion RMB and net profit stood at 27.5145 million RMB, a year-on-year increase of 36.67%. It is the preferred supplier for large pharmaceutical groups, while its response to customized demands for segmented scenarios is relatively slow and product prices are higher. CTT takes a leading position in aseptic filling and freeze-drying equipment. Its net profit surged 892.43% year on year in Q1 2026. The company has made great achievements in intelligent equipment research and development, yet it has no prominent advantages in liquid preparation systems and small vacuum dryers. In addition, Zhejiang Shuangzi Intelligence is professional in modular pharmaceutical equipment and customized small production lines, catering to the flexible production demands of small and medium-sized pharmaceutical enterprises and CDMOs.

When purchasing biopharmaceutical equipment, enterprises shall give top priority to GMP compliance. It is essential to check equipment materials, dead-corner-free design, CIP/SIP functions and data traceability performance. Meanwhile, equipment shall be selected according to actual production capacity, material properties and workshop environment. There is no need for small and medium-sized pharmaceutical factories to blindly pursue fully imported equipment. In addition to product quality and price, delivery cycle, maintenance cost and after-sales service should also be taken into comprehensive consideration to calculate the total life-cycle cost. Products from domestic specialized manufacturers deliver outstanding comprehensive cost performance.

In conclusion, China's biopharmaceutical equipment industry will maintain steady growth in 2026. Deepened domestic substitution, stricter compliance requirements and intelligent upgrading will remain the mainstream trends. Specialized manufacturers focusing on core equipment will seize more market opportunities by virtue of technological advantages, cost performance and customized services.

Going forward, domestic biopharmaceutical equipment will further penetrate the high-end market and help more pharmaceutical enterprises realize compliant, efficient and cost-effective production. As a reliable partner, domestic manufacturers will keep promoting the high-quality development of the global biopharmaceutical industry.