“The three generic drug quality and efficacy consistency evaluation projects we’ve submitted—ambrisentan hydrochloride injection, ciprofloxacin lactate sodium injection, and fluconazole sodium chloride injection—have recently been approved one after another by the National Medical Products Administration. In particular, ciprofloxacin lactate sodium injection became the first among 83 companies nationwide producing the same product to pass the evaluation, while fluconazole sodium chloride injection marked the second such approval in China. These innovative achievements will play a crucial role in enhancing our products’ market competitiveness.” On January 21, a series of uplifting news arrived, greatly encouraging the vast number of scientific and technical personnel at Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., who have remained steadfast in their fight against the epidemic and never interrupted their R&D efforts.

Having successfully navigated last year’s pandemic “major test,” the R&D personnel at Shijiazhuang No. 4 Pharmaceutical Company are calmly and confidently facing the new pandemic challenges, showing no sign of complacency. Their research projects are progressing smoothly and rapidly according to schedule.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, researchers at Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical have been diligently conducting research and experiments on new products.

Sun Lijie, CEO of Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical and General Manager of the R&D Center, said, “During the pandemic, our research teams—specializing in active pharmaceutical ingredients, injectables, solid dosage forms, and innovative drugs—each fulfilled their respective roles and made steady progress simultaneously. In response to the recurring nature of the epidemic, we reevaluated and adjusted our ongoing R&D projects, prioritizing those related to epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, we’ve been working closely with universities, pooling our resources to accelerate the development of new drug candidates for antiviral and anti-infective therapies.”

“To achieve results as soon as possible and benefit the health of the people, our core R&D team is now living and working at the office. While taking strict precautions against the epidemic, they’re putting in over ten hours of work each day. Even so, everyone feels that time still isn’t enough—this ‘race against time’ demands that we seize every minute and every second. This isn’t just a necessity for fighting the current epidemic; it’s also a crucial requirement for the company’s long-term development,” said Sun Lijie.
Innovation is the future of enterprises, and we must never stop moving forward.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, researchers at Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical have been diligently conducting research and experiments on new products.

“Faced with the current epidemic, our work will not only remain on track—it’s possible that many of our projects will even be completed ahead of schedule,” said Sun Lijie. This composure and confidence stem from their well-coordinated planning of both the R&D system and project management. “We’re focusing on what we should do and what we’re capable of doing, while entrusting other tasks to societal innovation resources. This approach not only boosts efficiency but also helps diversify risks, minimizing the impact of adverse factors like the epidemic on scientific research and innovation. This year, we’ve launched over 140 projects and plan to obtain production approvals for nearly 30 new products. During the pandemic, we’ve already submitted three new-product applications to the national authorities—two for injectable formulations and one for solid dosage forms. By the end of January, we’ll submit an additional three new products to the National Medical Products Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation. All these projects were ‘grabbed’ through proactive efforts.”
Over the past two years, Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical has adhered to a development strategy that integrates generic drug innovation with original drug development, building a team of innovative talents and establishing a “five-in-one” innovation platform in collaboration with “Double First-Class” universities and research institutes. This platform focuses on the development of generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, innovative drugs, pharmaceutical packaging materials, and studies on bioequivalence evaluation of generic drugs. By leveraging both domestic and international innovation resources, the company continues to accelerate and enhance its R&D capabilities, explore new avenues for kinetic energy transformation, and speed up the deployment of product lines in injectables, solid dosage forms, and active pharmaceutical ingredients. As a result, the company is forging new competitive advantages in product categories and striving to become a leader in China’s high-end injectable delivery systems and novel packaging formats—including advanced microsphere and liposome-based injectables, lyophilized powder injections, sterile powder injections, dual-chamber bags, multi-chamber bags, and more—thereby continuously strengthening the foundation for the company’s sustainable development.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, researchers at Shijiazhuang Fourth Pharmaceutical have been diligently conducting research and experiments on new products.

“Over the past two years, we’ve been steadily advancing in the development of innovative drugs, generic drugs, and active pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as in consistency evaluation studies, continuously stepping up our efforts and accumulating substantial achievements that are now beginning to bear fruit. Since the start of the new year, in just three weeks, we’ve received national approval for three new drug products one after another. Our Class 1 novel anti-tumor drug, NP-01, has been approved to enter Phase I clinical trials, and soon a batch of new Class IV drugs will also receive manufacturing licenses,” said Sun Lijie. As of now, Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical has had a total of 14 product specifications across 10 varieties pass the National Generic Drug Quality and Efficacy Consistency Evaluation—or be deemed as having passed—placing us among the industry leaders in both the number of approvals and the pace of progress.
Health is the foundation of work. To ensure effective prevention and control measures, the R&D Center of Shijiazhuang No.4 Pharmaceutical strictly adheres to the company’s unified requirements: disinfecting and taking temperatures twice a day, and staggering meal times. Sun Lijie explained, “Before entering their posts, all departments must conduct a second temperature check on researchers and monitor their health status promptly, ensuring the physical well-being of R&D personnel so that everyone can work in good health.”