Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical: Fully and faithfully completing the national task of transporting Arbidol.


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Time:2020-02-21

On the afternoon of February 19, just after the announcement that Abidol had been included in the National Health Commission’s “Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 6),” at 6 p.m. the same day, the Medical Supplies Guarantee Group (the Supplies Guarantee Group) under the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic issued an urgent tasking order to Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the first time, aiming to address Hubei Province’s demand for epidemic prevention and control supplies. The order required Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical to deliver, in batches by February 26, a total of 50,000 boxes of Abidol Hydrochloride capsules (12 capsules per box) to Hubei Province.
 
On the afternoon of February 19, shortly after the announcement that Abidol had been included in the National Health Commission’s “Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 6),” at 6 p.m. the same day, the Medical Supplies Guarantee Group (Supplies Guarantee Group) under the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic issued an urgent task dispatch order to Shijiazhuang Sihua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the first time, aiming to address Hubei Province’s demand for epidemic prevention and control supplies. The order required Shijiazhuang Sihua Pharmaceutical to deliver, in batches by February 26, a total of 50,000 boxes of Abidol Hydrochloride capsules (12 capsules per box) to Hubei Province.
Upon receiving the urgent task dispatch order, Qu Jiguang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shisi Pharmaceutical Group, immediately stated that they would fully and faithfully implement the national requirements and spare no effort to ensure the supply of epidemic prevention and control materials for Hubei Province. “Supporting Hubei is a responsibility that our pharmaceutical company must fulfill. We will definitely address Hubei’s urgent needs and the nation’s urgent demands, accelerate production, and strive to deliver this batch of medicines to Hubei as soon as possible.”
This time, the national COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment guidelines have added two drugs—chloroquine phosphate and arbidol—to antiviral therapies. As soon as the news was released, Shijiazhuang No. 4 Pharmaceutical Company was inundated with calls from various regions requesting additional supplies of arbidol.
 
 
Stepping into the oral dosage-form production workshop of Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical, located in the High-Tech Zone of Shijiazhuang, we find 150 employees bustling with intense activity along the production lines. “From material preparation to formulation, tableting, coating, coloring, inspection, packing, and warehousing—there are more than a dozen processes involved,” says Wu Hengyao, General Manager of Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical. “Employees work in shifts, ensuring that while people take breaks, the equipment keeps running.” To guarantee smooth production, the company has dispatched dedicated vehicles for the procurement and shipment of raw materials and excipients. To secure transportation, the company is both organizing special delivery vehicles and collaborating closely with logistics firms, ensuring that medicines can be swiftly delivered to frontline epidemic-control areas such as Hubei Province.
“Currently, various regions are continuously increasing their supply plans for Abidol hydrochloride capsules. At present, daily production has reached nearly 1 million capsules, nearly doubling the usual daily output.”
From January 25 to February 18, Shiyao Group has cumulatively sent 1.5 million capsules of the antiviral drug abidol hydrochloride to Hubei Province, including 1.1 million capsules sent to Wuhan.
Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical is one of the earliest pharmaceutical companies in China to engage in the research and development of Arbidol. Dr. Sun Lijie, Director of the Shi Si Yao Pharmaceutical Research Institute, introduced that Abidor is primarily used to treat upper respiratory tract infections caused by influenza viruses types A and B, among others. The inclusion of Abidol in the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 6) has further strengthened their confidence in accelerating the re-examination of this drug, so that it can better realize its clinical value.
In addition to the busy Abidol capsule production line in the oral dosage form workshop of Shijiazhuang No. 4 Pharmaceutical, the moxifloxacin hydrochloride sodium chloride injection and new-concept disinfectant production lines have also been operating continuously since January 24. After the Spring Festival, the production lines for plastic bottles, stand-up pouches, and flexible bag infusions were successively put into operation. More than 3,000 employees are working tirelessly on the front lines of epidemic prevention and control production.
Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., located in the New Formulation and Biopharmaceutical Industry Park in the Shijiazhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone, is currently accelerating pile-driving and earthworks in preparation for the full-scale construction starting in March. At present, Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical is doing everything possible to overcome difficulties and is coordinating efforts across epidemic prevention and control, production, R&D, marketing, and project construction. With a sense of urgency and determination to make the most of every moment, the company is promoting innovation, green development, and high-quality growth, striving to deliver its contribution to achieving a strong start in the first quarter and securing a double victory in both epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development.

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