The purpose of preliminary assessment is not to promise manufacture. It is to decide whether the parties should invest in confidential due diligence and, if so, what evidence and work plan are required.

Four project scenarios

China MAH contract manufacture

A holder needs a named-site assessment covering qualification, technical transfer, quality agreement, license route, oversight and supply continuity.

Sterile injectable transfer

A lyophilized powder injection, sterile powder injection or terminally sterilized small-volume injection needs product-process-facility fit review.

Development to commercial scale

A product still requires formulation, process, analytical, scale-up, validation or registration-support work before routine manufacture.

Overseas registration or localized manufacture

An international partner needs to align dossier ownership, local responsibilities, technology transfer, supply model and target-market expectations.

Minimum non-confidential information

  • requesting organization and contact
  • dosage form and presentation
  • target country or region
  • current project stage
  • CMO, CDMO, technology transfer or registration-cooperation objective
  • high-level sterilization or process route where relevant
  • indicative batch or demand range if non-confidential
  • desired decision and timing
  • known constraints that can be stated without disclosing know-how

Initial decision matrix

Decision areaQuestion to answerPossible outcome
Legal and license fitAre the proposed legal entities, site scope and target-market roles compatible?Proceed, define a licensing path, or stop.
Product and process fitCan the product route, equipment, containment, sterilization, packaging and scale be responsibly assessed?Proceed to technical diligence, request targeted evidence, or hold.
Quality-system fitCan the parties connect audits, data, deviations, changes, release and lifecycle oversight?Open quality diligence or resolve governance gaps first.
Transfer readinessIs there sufficient product knowledge, method readiness, development history and accountable expertise?Define a transfer plan, add development work, or stop.
Regulatory pathWho owns the dossier and which variations, inspections, filings or local responsibilities are expected?Build a regulatory workstream or defer the project.
Capacity and supplyAre batch scale, campaign model, materials, forecast, timing and release route realistic?Reserve planning assumptions, redesign supply, or decline.
Commercial alignmentAre scope, risk, acceptance criteria, ownership and cost assumptions sufficiently defined?Prepare an indicative proposal or close gaps.

Six controlled stages

01Non-confidential screen

Confirm the organization, objective, dosage form, market, stage and timing.

02Mutual NDA

Define permitted use, access, return or destruction and authorized recipients.

03Structured due diligence

Review technical, quality, regulatory, supply and commercial evidence against an agreed request list.

04Joint project plan

Define deliverables, owners, acceptance criteria, risks, cost assumptions and critical path.

05Transfer, development and validation

Execute controlled process, method, engineering, stability and validation work as applicable.

06Commercial readiness

Confirm registration, release, supply, governance and lifecycle controls before routine manufacture.

Conditions that should place a project on hold

  • the legal entity, site or licensed scope cannot be confirmed
  • the product route is incompatible with the facility or cannot be assessed responsibly
  • critical product knowledge or accountable technical ownership is missing
  • sterility, containment, co-line or data risks cannot be controlled
  • the parties cannot agree quality responsibilities or access to evidence
  • the proposed schedule bypasses transfer, validation or regulatory obligations
  • commercial assumptions depend on unverified demand, approvals or guaranteed outcomes
  • confidential information is offered before appropriate controls are in place

Response standard: A complete first inquiry is acknowledged through the website system. The current public response target is within three business days. A response may request clarification; it is not an acceptance of the project or a quotation.

Authoritative sources

  1. NMPA — Contract Manufacturing Announcement No. 134 (2025)
  2. U.S. FDA — Contract Manufacturing Quality Agreements
  3. WHO — Technology transfer in pharmaceutical manufacturing

This page is a public decision framework, not a project acceptance, capacity reservation, quotation or regulatory opinion.