China’s “innovative drugs” compete with international giants on the world stage, fighting for strength and speed. Many links in the research and development of innovative drugs are continuous, and if they are completely shut down, it may have an impact on the follow-up work. In Zhangjiang Science City, there are batches of researchers working on “dual online” anti-epidemic research and development, sticking to their research and development positions, laying floor mats and drilling sleeping bags, just to keep important experiments from stopping and important projects from getting stuck.
In the R&D building of Hutchison Medicine in Zhangjiang “Medicine Valley”, the laboratory’s The light stays on. Recently, Chi-Med has responded to the government’s call to arrange flexible work or home office for employees in need and conditions. For the R&D projects that cannot be stopped, more than 30 front-line researchers from the company’s chemistry, oncology, translational medicine, biopharmaceuticals, pharmacokinetics, toxicology research, animal room and other experimental departments have chosen to be stationed in the past few days. The company ensures that all key R&D experiments and supporting work are carried out in an orderly manner.
Established in 2002, Chi-Med is the first batch of innovative drugs to enter Zhangjiang Enterprise. As one of the first innovative pharmaceutical R&D companies in China focusing on the global market, its innovative drug fruquintinib is the first innovative anti-tumor drug to be completed in my country from discovery, development to approval without additional conditions. Two completely independent innovation drugs have also been approved for marketing. At present, Chi-Med has a total of 13 registration studies of 6 drugs in progress, and more than 5 are planned. This year, Chi-Med will accelerate the international commercialization of 3 oncology “innovative drugs” already on the market in China.
The research and development process of new drugs, especially some of them involve cell models, which require culture and Observation and long-term follow-up of animal experiments cannot be stopped in the middle. Basically, it is necessary to enter the animal room at 8:30 to observe a state of the animal, do some administration, and do some analysis of the experimental data.
As early as the eve of the closure of Pudong, R&D personnel from chemistry, oncology, translational medicine, biopharmaceuticals, toxicology research and other departments entered the laboratory retrogradely. Everyone changed the conference venue into a temporary dormitory, laying sleeping bags on the ground, and hoarded several boxes of instant noodles and self-heating food to ensure the orderly progress of key research and development experiments and supporting work without stopping.
During this epidemic, many colleagues were isolated at home, and the R&D staff of Chi-Med The large-scale expansion and the constructed cell lines in preparation for the experiment are unmanned passage, medium exchange, and culture. If abandoned, cell line resuscitation and construction will take several weeks, which will greatly affect the progress of the experiment.
In an emergency, Wang Yanhe, colleagues from the Oncology Research Department of Hehuang Medicine, communicated repeatedly with colleagues who could not be present, and carefully confirmed the culture conditions and passage rules of these cells. All kinds of information are recorded on 4 sheets of paper. As soon as they complete one strain, they mark one strain. Under the severe shortage of manpower, they not only successfully completed the cell subculture and culture of colleagues in this department, but also actively undertaken the work of cell subculture in other brother departments.
Chi-Med CEO and Scientific Officer Dr. Weiguo Su said in the letter to employees, “On the basis of actively fighting the epidemic and overcoming difficulties together, we must adhere to the As a social responsibility of an innovative drug research and development enterprise, we ensure the smooth progress of our research and development work, and ensure that our drugs and services are delivered to patients in a safe and timely manner.”
Latest Statistics It shows that one-third of the national new drug research and development institutions are concentrated in Zhangjiang, one-third of the national major new drug creation projects are located in Zhangjiang, one-third of the first-class innovative drugs approved in the country originate in Zhangjiang, and Zhangjiang enterprises have a global presence. More than 50 international multi-center clinical trial projects of innovative drugs have been carried out.
Take Chi-Med Medicine, which has been rooted in Pudong all the way, as an example. From a team of seven or eight people when it was first established in 2002, it has nearly a thousand people in early R&D and clinical R&D. The team of scientific research talents has laid a solid foundation for the “accumulation” of innovative drugs. And batches of talents who have grown up in the hot land of Pudong have also become the “mainstay” to ensure the development of research and development at a critical moment.
Yang Zhenying, Hu Minjue