China pharma projects disrupted by Sino-US tensions

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Drug research and development firms in China including WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics are changing project plans, stockpiling supplies and discussing testing locally, said sources with knowledge of the matter, as they seek to mitigate the impact of U.S.-China trade tensions. China's sprawling pharmaceutical research and manufacturing sector serves global drug giants such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca with a low-cost development model that often uses imported clinical samples, equipment, chemicals and other materials to conduct work. They are also discussing testing U.S. clinical samples in the U.S., instead of sending them to China for further research, a move that could increase costs, and requesting additional supplies for backup, three other sources said.