On November 3rd, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced the list of National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprises for 2022. Grand Pharmaceuticals (China) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Grand Pharma”) was honored and included in the list of National Technological Innovation Demonstration Enterprise for 2022 along with 64 other enterprises across the country. It is also one of the four listed enterprises from its region in this list. 

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology compiles, approves, and verifies the list of National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprises. Listed enterprises are those that have accomplished breakthroughs in key and core technologies and achieved major industrialization results. Enterprises are identified as such by a comprehensive and systematic evaluation covering various criteria such as innovation input, talent motivation, innovation collaboration, innovation team building, fostering conditions for innovation, technology accumulation, and reserve, as well as output and benefits of technological innovation.

Grand Pharma takes pride in identifying itself as an innovation-driven global pharmaceutical company integrating pharmaceutical technology, anti-tumor diagnosis and treatment with nuclear medicine, precision interventional diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and biotechnology. The Group constantly pursues scientific and technological advances and seeks to actively expand its global footprint. It has channeled resources into ophthalmology, respiratory, and anti-infection therapy for use in intensive care units, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergencies, tumor (immunotherapy), precision interventional diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, anti-tumor diagnosis and treatment with nuclear medicine, and biotechnology, amongst other fields. The Group has made significant breakthroughs in developing innovative products and cutting-edge technologies and enhancing and expanding product pipelines, and has improved talent development, platform development, investment, and industrial chain layout.

At present, Grand Pharma has established 6 R&D technology platforms and 10 R&D centers around the world. It has set up 114 on-going research projects and 46 innovative projects, which are in various stages, from preclinical development to new drug application. The product pipeline is adequate and has a significant echelon effect.

Focus on high-barrier pharmaceutical products and exclusive varieties

Global Pharma adopted an innovative model combining global technical cooperation and independent R&D, and established Wuhan Optics Valley R&D Center, Nanjing/Belgium mRNA R&D Center, American DNA R&D Center, and Australian Glycoomics R&D Center. These ventures seek to develop leading high-barrier pharmaceutical products as well as exclusive drugs in the fields of ophthalmology, and respiratory and anti-infection therapy for use in intensive care units and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergencies, thereby constantly enriching its product pipeline.

Creating a product cluster for tumor diagnosis and treatment using nuclear medicine

The nuclear medicine treatment platform is a high-end technical program created by Grand Pharma for tumor diagnosis and treatment. It has more than 400 employees, and about 35% of them hold master’s and doctoral degrees. Adopting an integrated approach for tumor diagnosis and treatment, the platform has 13 reserved world-class innovative products, covering 6 kinds of nuclides and 8 types of cancer. The Group is acknowledged as a pioneer in nuclear medicine treatment in China. In the future, it seeks to establish at least two Grade-A qualified production platforms and complete the pipeline layout of 25 tumor diagnosis and treatment products based on nuclear medicine. It aims to foster nuclear medicine therapy product clusters with yttrium [90Y] microsphere injection (Yigantai®) as the key product, providing more lasting and superior treatment options for Chinese patients.

Building a leading precision interventional diagnosis and treatment platform for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Adhering to the concept of "intervention without implantation" and "heart-brain treatment," Grand Pharma has embarked on a comprehensive layout in three directions: access management, structural heart disease, electrophysiology, and heart failure, and is building a cluster of innovative high-end medical devices. At present, Grand Pharma has 11 reserved innovative products in this field, and 3 of these products have been approved for commercialization in China. It has established R&D and production bases for passive and active products in Changzhou and Wuhan Optics Valley, respectively and both bases have commenced operations. It strives to develop the sector into a leading platform for precision interventional diagnosis and treatment in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China and beyond.

High-quality amino acids

With synthetic biology as the foundation, Grand Pharma pioneered world-leading innovative technology in China to produce various amino acids based on biological processes, which filled the gap in the industry. It has developed nearly 50 kinds of amino acids and derivative products, and has registered 24 amino acid APIs, accounting for more than 70% of the registered APIs in the same segment, making it the pharmaceutical company in China with the most registered APIs for amino acids. The Group’s amino acid sales network spans more than 140 countries and regions around the world. The Group’s core product—the cysteine series—ranks first in the world in terms of both market share and production capacity, and its production capacity of taurine ranks second in the world.

Securing the title of National Technological Innovation Demonstration Enterprise is an affirmation of the spectacular achievements Grand Pharma has made through continuous technological innovation and internationalization in recent years. As a National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprise, Grand Pharma seeks to accelerate innovation and transformation, strengthen investment in R&D innovation and key technology research, and offer more advanced and diversified treatment options for patients around the world.

About the National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprise 

According to the Administrative Measures for the Recognition of Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprises (Trial) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance, National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprises refer to enterprises with strong technological innovation capabilities, outstanding innovation performance, and which play a key demonstration and guidance role in the industry.

The requirements to be recognized as a National Technology Innovation Demonstration Enterprise include: mastering the core technology for enterprise development; possessing independent intellectual property rights and industry-leading technical capacity; actively leading or participating in formulating international, national, or industry technical standards; having robust research and development institutions, innovation mechanisms and talent incentives; advocating brand management and innovation and pursuing competition-driven growth; and owning famous Chinese product brands and well-known Chinese trademarks.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance proactively manage the list of national technological innovation demonstration enterprises. They identify a batch of enterprises every year, and review and evaluate them every three years. Enterprises that do not meet the eligibility criteria during the evaluation lose their qualification.