CSL Limited has agreed to acquire 80 per cent equity of plasma-derived therapies manufacturer Wuhan Zhong Yuan Rui De Biological Products Co. Ltd. (“Ruide”) from Humanwell Healthcare Group Co. Ltd. for US$352 million. The transaction will provide CSL with a strategic presence in the Chinese domestic plasma fractionation market and complements the leadership position that its CSL Behring business has built over the past 20 years as a provider of imported albumin in China.

CSL is a global specialty biotherapeutics company that develops and delivers innovative biotherapies that save lives, and help people with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives. With major facilities in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the U.S., CSL employs over 17,000 employees working in more than 30 countries.

CSL has a long history of delivering plasma-derived medicines for the treatment of rare and serious diseases. Within the Ruide joint venture, CSL will have an opportunity to contribute capabilities across the full range of plasma products currently produced by CSL in markets outside China.

China’s plasma products market exceeded $3.3 billion in 2016, with a 15 per cent growth rate for the past five years. China is also the fastest growing immunoglobulin (Ig) market in the world, and in volume, second only to the United States.

Humanwell is a fully integrated healthcare solution provider in China, with growing presence in Southeast Asia, North America and Africa. It is publically traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with revenues in excess of US$1.7 billion in 2016, and ranked in the top 30 pharmaceutical companies in China.