As someone who’s written numerous editorials about the perils of China’s high-speed rail system, I was surprisingly eager to ride the 200 mph MagLev train in Shanghai last month. Perhaps the jet-lag after the 15-hour flight from Newark had overridden my instinct for self-preservation. Or maybe it seemed like a safer bet than taking a taxi upon my first visit to China. ­

I was there because Catalent Pharma Solutions invited me to attend CPhI China and discuss their new joint ventures in Shanghai (more on that in our September issue). It was an eye-opening experience. I was floored by the scale of the CPhI event (as well as by the scale of Shanghai). While there were fewer contract service providers than one would find at the annual CPhI/ ICSE event in Europe, it’s clearly a booming event in a massive market, drawing attendees and exhibitors from across Asia.



It was a brief visit, but it caused me to revise my opinions about China and the role it’s going to play in the future of the pharma industry. (More on that in upcoming issues, too.) For now, let me just say that the tals I had there with western companies helped clear up some of my misconceptions about what this issue’s Top Companies are hoping to gain in the Middle Kingdom. I can’t wait to return.

—Gil Roth
Editor, Contract Pharma
[email protected]
twitter.com/contractpharma

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What I’m Reading
Pharma
Breaking the Seal on Drug Research
Katie Thomas, New York Times
Comment: Of a piece with this issue’s Pharma Beat column, this article chronicles the researcher-driven push for opening up clinical trial data for outside study.

Non-Pharma
Little, Big
John Crowley
Comment: One of the greatest novels of the 20th century, Little, Big is an epic, multigenerational story about a family
in a quiet, Edenic corner of New York state and their relationship to . . .  um . . . the fairyfolk. It’s a gorgeous book about love and enchantment and their loss, and the way those things drive us to tell stories.

Why don’t you tell us what you’re reading? Write us at [email protected], www.goodreads.com/groth, www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1775433 or www.facebook.com/contractpharma — and the first respondent wins a prize!