At the construction site of the drug R&D platform, pilot-scale testing, and industrialization support project of Shijiazhuang Sihua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Xing'an Avenue and Lijiang Road in the High-tech Zone, Zhao Yongzheng, the company’s deputy general manager, was engaged in final pre-construction communications with experts from the design institute, braving the chilly winter wind. “By year-end, this national enterprise technology center—featuring a first-class chemical drug R&D team and state-of-the-art equipment—and the National-Local Joint Laboratory for Key Technologies in Quality Control of Chemical Drug Injections will be moving in here. It’s safe to say that Sihua Pharmaceutical will fully enter a new era of innovative development.”
In the recently concluded year of 2017, Siyao intensified its supply-side structural reform. While strengthening its high-end infusion product segment, it focused on innovative drugs and first-in-class new medicines, increased capital investment, accelerated efforts to address innovation gaps, and sped up the transition toward new business models.
Focusing on the cutting edge of chemical pharmaceutical preparations and active pharmaceutical ingredients, Siyao has directed its innovative vision toward areas such as the research of nationally significant innovative drugs. It has successively established innovation platforms including an academician workstation and a workstation led by Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. By leveraging external expertise, Siyao is aligning its practices with international standards in innovative drug screening, development, and clinical research.
“Relying on an international innovation platform and aligning with our company’s product positioning, we invest nearly 500 million yuan annually in innovation. We’ve already achieved initial results—having submitted applications for and currently developing over 160 new products. Our number of patent applications ranks among the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in China, and our R&D efforts are demonstrating a promising, virtuous cycle of continuous growth,” said a senior official with great satisfaction to the reporter. As a batch of competitive products gradually receive approval and enter the market, the company has reaped impressive results. In 2017, Sihua Pharmaceutical maintained growth rates of over 30% in both sales revenue and profits and taxes. In January of this year, Sihua Pharmaceutical’s sales revenue increased by 120% year-on-year, and its profits and taxes surged by 150% year-on-year, once again setting a new historical record.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, researchers at the Siyao Pharmaceutical Research Institute wrapped up their holiday early and returned to work. “This year, we will establish close collaborative partnerships with several clinical trial research centers across China to ensure the high quality of our clinical studies. We plan to conduct more than 150 BE and clinical trials covering areas such as the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes, anti-liver fibrosis, bacterial and viral infectious diseases, mental and neurological disorders, fever, and pain. Moreover, we will fully leverage the technological advantages of the Beijing-Tianjin region by collaborating with more universities and research institutions, thereby enhancing our R&D capabilities and efficiency and striving to develop more than three first-class new drugs,” said Yin Dianshu, Chief Engineer of Siyao and Director of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
Looking ahead, the employees of Siyao are brimming with confidence: “While continuing to excel in the development of innovative drugs, we will seize the opportunities presented by high-potential markets and the development of generic versions of blockbuster drugs. We’ll also pay close attention to the consistency evaluation of our existing key products—embracing ‘two innovations’—and accelerate the approval process for our products as well as the efficiency of translating R&D results into commercial applications. This will help us propel our company into the ranks of nationally recognized demonstration enterprises for technological innovation, shifting the sales mix of generic drugs and new products from 6:4 to 3:7. By continuously expanding our capacity and enhancing our profitability, we’ll truly transform from a ‘follower’ to a ‘leader’ in the field of pharmaceutical innovation and make new contributions to our city’s biopharmaceutical industry!”