The application process for the 2017 projects under the Major National Science and Technology Special Project for the Creation of New Drugs, led and implemented by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission, was launched at the beginning of this year. After several rounds of review and evaluation, our company’s project proposal—“Clinical Study of a Class 1 New Drug for the Treatment of Myocardial Infarction: Recombinant Human Thymosin β4” (project number: 2017ZX09303009)—has been approved and received funding support.

Recombinant human thymosin β4 is a novel recombinant protein drug independently developed by our company. It is classified as a Class 1 innovative biological product for therapeutic use. The approved indication for this product is ischemia-reperfusion injury caused by acute myocardial infarction—a condition for which there are currently no effective treatments or therapies available in clinical practice. The molecular structure of this product is innovative, and its drug composition has been granted invention patents in China, the United States, Europe, South Korea, and Japan. This project previously received support as a candidate topic under the “11th Five-Year Plan” Major New Drug Creation Special Program and as a preclinical research topic under the “12th Five-Year Plan” Major New Drug Creation Special Program; both projects have successfully passed their respective acceptance evaluations. In December 2015, this project obtained clinical trial approvals for Phase I and Phase II from the National Medical Products Administration, and Phase I clinical trials are currently underway.

The “Major New Drug Development” National Key Science and Technology Special Project has as its primary goal the development of a batch of major drugs targeting 10 major categories (or types) of diseases that seriously threaten the health of the Chinese people. The project aims to improve the national drug innovation system, enhance independent innovation capabilities, and accelerate China’s transition from generic drug production to original drug development, and from a large pharmaceutical country to a powerful pharmaceutical nation. The implementation period of the special project spans from 2008 to 2020, with phased implementation according to three five-year plans. The 2017 projects constitute the core of the “13th Five-Year Plan” implementation strategy, primarily supporting research areas that hold promise for achieving significant breakthroughs and play a crucial role in realizing the overall objectives of the special project under the “13th Five-Year Plan.” The implementation period for these projects is from 2017 to 2020.

This project has once again received approval for funding, marking the seventh time our company has been approved for a major national science and technology special project. This not only recognizes the excellence of our company’s R&D initiatives but also fully demonstrates our company’s expertise and strength in biopharmaceutical research.