January 9, 2015, the 2014 National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. 202 awards were granted that include three Special Awards, 26 First Class Awards, and 173 Second Class Awards. A leading enterprise of China Grand Enterprises’ Pharmaceutical and Healthcare sector, Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd. (Huadong Medicine), along with its academic collaborators, won the Second Class National Science and Technology Progress Award for the completion of a research project that successfully solved the key technology and commercialization problems for acarbose raw materials and product production. 

Certificate of the National Science and Technology Progress Award

Acarbose is the mostly prescribed oral hypoglycemic drug in China. In their winning project, Huadong Medicine and its partners have developed a unique breeding technology that significantly increased the fermentation titer, yield and quality of the product. Tablet formulation has also been optimized and higher product stability and quality have been obtained. Currently the project has resulted in 10 approved patents, and Huadong Medicine and its partners thus have obtained their own comprehensive intellectual properties, successfully achieved the localization and internalization of acarbose production in China, and ended the prolonged monopoly of international pharmaceutical giants over the production technology and market of acarbose. Domestic production of acarbose reduced diabetes treatment cost and benefited millions of diabetes patients, advanced the development of public health in China.

The representative of Huadong Medicine receives the award in the Great Hall of the People

About the National Science and Technology Progress Award:

The National Science and Technology Progress Award is one of the five major national science and technology awards established by the State Council of Chinese government. It is awarded to Chinese citizens and organizations in recognition of their breakthrough contributions in technology R&D, innovation and application, in promoting commercialization of advanced technologies, and in finishing major scientific and technological projects.