Walking into the Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) R & D building, rows of instrument operation lights are flashing rapidly, and the busy figure of scientific researchers can be seen everywhere. “What we are currently developing is a radioactive drug for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, which has entered the pre RND stage.” The staff said, “nuclear medicine is an emerging discipline of modern medicine, which is to realize the early accurate diagnosis of human molecular level and the accurate treatment of small lesions through a very small amount of radioactive drugs. Compared with European and American developed countries, China has a very broad development prospect.”
At present, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) has grown into one of the advanced enterprises in China’s nuclear medical field. Surprisingly, just a few years ago, it was an authentic traditional chemical medicine enterprise, and one of its main businesses was an “old medicine” with a history of more than 100 years.
For many enterprises, transformation is a test of “life and death”. For Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) it is inseparable from its focus on innovation and development and deep cultivation of the industry for more than 20 years to realize the leap from traditional medicine to emerging nuclear medicine. “Adhering to the long-term strategy of innovation and development is the driving force for Dongcheng to move forward.” Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) chairman you Shouyi said.
seeking change: Aiming at the prospect of the industry, “centenarian drug” enterprises cross-border “new nuclear medical technology”
Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) , is a native Yantai enterprise. Since its establishment in 1998, one of its main businesses is an anticoagulant drug called “heparin”, which has a history of more than 100 years. It is widely used in surgery, antithrombotic and thrombolysis of covid-19 treatment. So far, there is no better alternative drug.
Since its inception, the company has adhered to the strategy of deep ploughing the industry and innovative development, continuously optimized the process, continuously improved the quality management level, and gradually built a heparin vertical integrated industrial chain from upstream raw materials to downstream preparations. After more than 20 years of development, in the traditional chemical medicine business field, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) has achieved the results that the scale of heparin business ranks the top three in the world and chondroitin sulfate business ranks the first in the world. Ranked 52nd in the “top 100 list of Chinese chemical drugs” in 2020. Adhering to the long-term strategy of deep cultivation of the industry and innovative development has been integrated into the gene of Dongcheng development.
“Development is the last word” is the imprint engraved on the bones of the older generation of entrepreneurs. After listing in 2012, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) began to seek new innovation breakthroughs. What’s next? As the first hurdle placed in front of Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) the API business is difficult to achieve a higher level of development, and everyone is in a confused exploration period for new business. Faced with the pressure of development, Dongcheng people are struggling to explore.
“After consideration, Dongcheng set its sights on China’s nuclear medical market, which started late but has broad prospects for development, and began an innovative exploration with ‘radioactive drugs’ as the starting point.” Expressed by Shouyi.
In 2015, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) invested 750 million yuan to control Chengdu Yunke pharmaceutical, the first manufacturer of therapeutic radionuclide preparations in China, and officially launched the first shot into nuclear medicine.
Can an enterprise, which is a traditional “century old medicine”, go all out to start turning its rudder to a new nuclear medical technology enterprise? It’s far from as simple as you think.
solve the problem: feel the stone to cross the river and closely weave China’s nuclear medicine production and distribution network
What does the nuclear medical industry do? For Dongcheng people at that time, they could only cross the river by feeling the stone, and all they could rely on was the successful experience of making chemical medicine. It is also the spirit of focusing on the foot and the future, insisting on living a hard life, daring to fight a hard battle and constantly making innovations and breakthroughs that has laid the foundation for the rapid development of Dongcheng nuclear medicine.
After entering the nuclear medicine industry, the first problem is in front of us. To gain a firm foothold, we must have our own production and distribution network.
Radioactive drugs are different from other general drugs. Their characteristic is that they have a half-life, and some can only be preserved for ten minutes. Taking 18F-FDG, a widely used diagnostic nuclear drug, as an example, its half-life is only 109 minutes, so the coverage of the distribution radius of nuclear pharmacies fundamentally determines the industrial development, and the combination of multiple nuclear pharmacies is a production and distribution network.
It is imperative to build a nationwide production and distribution network! Led by Shouyi, Dongcheng people started a new journey of “weaving a net” of nuclear medicine.
After continuous efforts, the company ushered in a turnaround in 2017. The company invested 1.6 billion yuan to successfully acquire Nanjing Jiangyuan Andico in the form of cash and issuing shares, and Andico is holding the country’s largest nuclear drug production and distribution network. This move has also directly established Dongcheng’s advanced position in China’s nuclear medicine.
After years of development, there are currently 24 stations in operation in Dongcheng distribution network. With the completion and operation of projects under construction, the number will reach 30, covering more than 95% of the country’s population. In addition to promoting the development of China’s nuclear medicine industry, this will also play a supporting role for the development of Zhang Cheng’s nuclear medicine industryp align=”center”>
breakthrough: deeply cultivate R & D layout and build a whole industry chain nuclear medical ecosystem
In recent years, well-known international pharmaceutical companies have entered the nuclear medical track at great expense, and the market has begun to evolve from blue ocean to red ocean. Facing the pressure of competition from outside China, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) deeply realizes that only by building its own complete industrial chain as soon as possible can it avoid “neck sticking”, which is the key to future development.
To this end, the company put forward the development concept of “from particle to molecule, from laboratory to ward”, and constructed the construction scheme of Dongcheng nuclear medical ecological platform of “medical isotope supply, innovation incubation, transformation service, production network and diagnosis and treatment service”, focusing on key fields such as tumor, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and striving to build Dongcheng nuclear medical ecosystem.
In the field of products, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) has formed a full coverage of “screening diagnosis treatment” radioactive drugs. The existing products cover the mainstream varieties of nuclear medicine in China, including diagnostic positron drug 18F-FDG, single photon drug technetium [99mTc] labeled drugs and other drugs urea [14C] capsules. It also has therapeutic drugs Yunke injection, iodine [125I] sealed seed source, iodine [131I] sodium iodide oral liquid, etc.
In the field of foreign cooperation, the company has deep cooperation with Beijing Institute of pharmacy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing Cancer Hospital and other well-known Chinese institutions to jointly develop new radioactive drugs; It has joined forces with international famous radiopharmaceutical enterprises such as GE, imagenab, NMP and DCB in the United States to introduce relevant urgently needed clinical varieties.
In the field of R & D, Evans blue nanotechnology route and new radioactive coupling labeling technology route independently developed by the company have obtained a number of technical patents, reaching or even exceeding the international level.
At present, several product pipelines have been laid out, and more than 10 clinical products will be applied within 2 to 3 years.
In the field of talents, the company has gathered a large number of professional and senior leaders in the field of nuclear medicine, such as Professor Chen Xiaoyuan, director Li Fang, Professor Lei Pingsheng, Professor Yang Zhi, Professor Jiang Ji, Dr. Du Yong and Dr. Liu Yuanhao, which has injected new source power into the development of Dongcheng nuclear medicine.
In just eight years, Dongcheng has quickly completed the whole industrial chain layout of the production and sales, innovative R & D, clinical transformation and application of radioactive drugs and the R & D and production of nuclear medical treatment equipment, established a leading position in China’s nuclear medical field, and realized the successful transformation from traditional chemical medicine enterprises to nuclear medical enterprises.
Tuqiang: focus on scientific research and innovation and polish the new business card of Yantai “nuclear medical” city
The past 2021 was a very important year for Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) and China’s nuclear medical industry. In June 2021, eight ministries and commissions jointly issued the medium and long term development plan for medical isotopes (20212035), which promoted the development of nuclear medical and health industry to the national level and made top-level planning. From July to September, the research team of China’s “Research on the development strategy of national nuclear medical and health industry” project made a special trip to Dongcheng for research and investigation twice and offered suggestions. The east wind of the policy and the concern and attention at the national level have strengthened Dongcheng people’s confidence in doing a good job in the nuclear medical industry.
2022 is also a year for Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) to concentrate. You Shouyi told reporters that with the goal of becoming an innovative enterprise in nuclear medicine and focusing on scientific research and innovation, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) will continue to increase investment in innovation and R & D, and new radioactive drugs will be listed in the next five years to benefit patients.
At the beginning of this year, Yantai blue Medicine Valley life island signed a contract to start construction, and Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) will have a large number of nuclear drug projects settled in succession for intensive and coordinated development. Relying on national policies and the vigorous development of nuclear medical industry, Dongcheng nuclear medicine will become another shining business card of Yantai in the field of biomedical health in the near future.
After more than 20 years of development, whether in the traditional chemical medicine industry or in the emerging nuclear medical industry, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) has always adhered to the original intention of innovation and development. “In the future, Yantai Dongcheng Biochemicals Co.Ltd(002675) will continue to make full contributions to promoting the development of China’s nuclear medical industry, promoting the construction of a healthy China and improving the well-being of the people.” Expressed by Shouyi.
