Spanish biopharmaceutical company Almirall has opened new offices in Shanghai’s Jing’an district, marking a major push to deepen partnerships in China and accelerate innovation in medical dermatology.

 

The Barcelona-based company inaugurated the site at an institutional event titled “Advancing innovation in dermatology with partnerships in China,” bringing together pharmaceutical leaders, government representatives from China and Spain, and industry partners to explore collaboration in life sciences and new treatment development.

 

The move comes as China rapidly expands its capabilities in the pharmaceutical sector, particularly in licensing and drug development. Almirall said its Shanghai presence — established through Almirall Shanghai Pharmaceutical Consulting — is designed to create new innovation opportunities by combining its in-house research expertise with Chinese scientific partnerships.

 

The expansion builds on Almirall’s growing collaboration with Chinese pharmaceutical group Simcere, launched in 2022 to develop an interleukin-2 mutant fusion protein (IL-2muFc). The therapy targets autoimmune dermatological conditions including alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis and has now progressed to Phase II clinical trials in both China and the United States.

 

Almirall emphasized that while it strengthens ties in China, its core research operations will remain centered at its R&D hub in Sant Feliu de Llobregat near Barcelona.

 

“As a leader in medical dermatology, we at Almirall are proud to combine the commercialisation of our broad portfolio of dermatology products with a sustained focus on innovation that enables us to develop novel treatments aimed at further supporting patients and the medical community. 

 

"The inauguration of our new offices in Shanghai today underlines our collaborative approach to innovation and is a recognition of the life science potential in China. We continue to invest in growing our in-house R&D capabilities in Barcelona, while the complementary work in China will allow us to broaden our innovation potential through new partnerships. The successful collaboration we have with Simcere in alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis is a blueprint for this work," said Carlos Gallardo, Almirall Chairman and CEO.

 

Simcere executives welcomed the expansion, describing it as a signal of deepening cooperation between Chinese and Spanish pharmaceutical innovators.

 

“Congratulations to Almirall on establishing an office in China and expanding its presence in the country. This milestone reflects the further development of the cooperation between China and Spain in the field of innovative medicines. Simcere will continue to work closely with Almirall to pursue synergistic innovation and advance the global clinical development of the interleukin 2 mutant fusion protein project," said Zhou Gaobo, Chief Investment Officer of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group.

 

The collaboration also reflects broader diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. China and Spain marked the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership in 2025, launching a new 2025–2028 Action Plan that identifies the pharmaceutical sector as a priority for bilateral cooperation.

 

Meanwhile, Almirall continues to invest heavily in dermatology research. The company has spent more than €1 billion on R&D in the field over the past decade and allocated about 12.5% of net sales to research in 2025.

 

Its pipeline includes several mid-stage programs targeting dermatological diseases, including monoclonal antibodies for hidradenitis suppurativa and the IL-2muFc therapy for alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis.

 

Alongside research partnerships, Almirall is also expanding patient access to its dermatology treatments in China through local commercialization deals. These include partnerships with Cutia for topical finasteride for androgenetic alopecia and with Sinomune for sarecycline, recently approved in China for acne treatment.