The third round of national centralized drug procurement—highly anticipated by all sectors and involving 56 varieties and procurement scales totaling tens of billions of yuan across 184 pharmaceutical companies—recently concluded its bidding process. “Our newly approved products, cefdinir capsules and prucalopride succinate tablets, won the bid in first place in this round of centralized procurement,” said Su Xuejun, Chairman of Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., succinctly capturing the significance of this milestone. “This is an excellent start for our products to gain nationwide recognition. Currently, our oral dosage form production workshop has reached full capacity, and our products are rapidly penetrating markets across the country.” Speaking about facilitating the dual circulation strategy, Su Xuejun emphasized that innovation-driven development has given us the courage and confidence to achieve both domestic and international dual circulation.
Faced with the rapidly changing pharmaceutical market environment, Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical—currently the largest single-site manufacturer of injectables in China—is deepening its supply-side structural reform and adopting a “four-wheel synergy” approach involving innovative drugs, generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and pharmaceutical packaging materials. This has enabled the company to shift from being a single standout player to fostering a diverse and thriving ecosystem. By leveraging innovation as a driving force, the company is actively participating in both domestic and international dual circulations and achieving high-quality development. As a result, the company’s operations are vibrant and full of vitality.
Innovation is the cornerstone for ensuring the smooth operation of the dual circulation. “Against the backdrop of a new round of industrial transformation and profound, complex changes in both domestic and international environments, there is now a greater need than ever before to bolster innovation momentum, accelerate the R&D and commercialization of new products, build an efficient new-product supply system, and enhance the contribution of new products. It is an urgent priority to leverage high-quality scientific and technological innovation to support and lead enterprises toward high-quality development, thereby realizing the dual circulation.”
“We have continuously increased our investment in scientific research and established a coordinated working framework that integrates innovative drug discovery, the development of high-end generic drugs, and the evaluation of the consistency of quality and efficacy among generic drugs—thus boosting the core driving force behind our enterprise’s transformation and upgrading. After years of painstaking efforts and solid accumulation, we now possess comprehensive capabilities to venture into innovative drug research. Currently, we are accelerating the development of chemical small-molecule drugs, novel drug delivery systems, and generic drug product lines, and we’ve made significant progress in disruptive innovation, breakthrough therapeutic agents, and the exploration of groundbreaking new targets for major diseases. On November 6, the NP-01 tablet—a Class 1 new drug indicated for the treatment of advanced-stage gastric cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer—received clinical approval from the National Medical Products Administration, marking the dawn of a new era in Shisi Pharmaceutical’s innovative drug research.”
Speaking of the achievements made through innovation, Su Xuejun listed them one by one, saying, “These excellent ‘ammunition’ are precisely the winning formula that enables us to achieve dual circulation.”
“This year, Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical has launched nearly 180 chemical drug research projects, including five first-class new drugs covering therapeutic areas such as oncology, respiratory system, digestive and metabolic systems, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and anti-infective treatments. So far this year, we have submitted 72 R&D projects, encompassing first-class new drugs, Class 3 chemical drugs, Class 4 chemical drugs, and products undergoing consistency evaluation. Fluconazole tablets, doxofylline injection, ropivacaine hydrochloride injection, cefdinir capsules, and prucalopride succinate tablets have successively passed the national generic drug consistency evaluation. Soon, we will also see a batch of blockbuster new products—as well as ‘old products with a fresh look’ that have undergone consistency evaluation and achieved quality enhancements—approved for market launch.”
“While innovating our products, we’ve also reformed our marketing mechanisms to align with the national volume-based procurement policy and evolving trends in overseas markets. In the domestic market cycle, we’ve strategically introduced a number of new and high-potential, technology-intensive products—including rosuvastatin calcium tablets and abidol hydrochloride capsules—each with significant market potential. By implementing robust quality and cost controls, we’ve further amplified the advantages of innovation in driving market growth. Currently, 13 provinces in China have achieved annual sales exceeding 100 million yuan, and our overseas markets now span 90 countries.”
"While continuing to deepen our presence in the North China market, we are making significant efforts to develop markets in Central China, East China, South China, and western provinces, continuously enhancing the market coverage and share of our therapeutic products. New specialty products such as sodium bicarbonate, tinidazole, sodium lactate Ringer’s solution, and peritoneal dialysis solutions have achieved rapid growth. In response to the increased demand during the autumn and winter flu season, we are placing particular emphasis on developing and promoting antiviral and antibacterial drugs—including abidol hydrochloride capsules and moxifloxacin hydrochloride infusions—at the end-user level, and accelerating the cultivation of key products with sales volumes exceeding 100 million yuan."
A broader market paves the way for greater development potential. While strengthening its presence in the domestic market, Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical continues to make steady strides in overseas markets. “To ensure our high-quality products can stand the test of the global marketplace, we’ve adopted a ‘two-pronged’ approach. We’ve been pursuing foreign trade for 20 years now, and during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, we’ve completed over 20 international quality audits and certifications, registered nearly 200 product specifications and varieties, and achieved product sales in 90 countries.”
“We have never ceased developing and expanding into overseas markets. Even since the global pandemic broke out this year, we’ve gone to great lengths to overcome various challenges, ensuring timely fulfillment of our commitments and earning the trust of our customers. As a result, our foreign trade sales orders have not only remained stable but have actually risen, with sales continuing to grow at a double-digit rate.”
“Seize the initiative in times of crisis and open up new horizons amid changing circumstances. The ambitious goals set forth by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee have charted a clear course and painted a blueprint for the development of our pharmaceutical industry. We will firmly grasp the overarching trend of industrial transformation, actively explore new ideas, new pathways, and new initiatives that suit our unique characteristics and foster mutual promotion between domestic and international dual circulations. With unwavering confidence and unyielding perseverance, we will accelerate the transformation and upgrading of our industry, address our shortcomings, strengthen our weak areas, and drive innovation across our diversified industrial chain—comprising formulations, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and pharmaceutical packaging materials—while speeding up the shift from old to new growth drivers. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to rank among the top 30 pharmaceutical companies in China.” Speaking about the company’s future development, Su Xuejun expressed full confidence.