A drawing of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group's research and development center in the Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District. [Photo/WeChat account: minhangnews]
The commencement ceremony for Simcere Pharmaceutical Group's research and development center was held in the Minhang Area of the Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District on June 28.
The Nanjing-based pharmaceutical enterprise cooperated with two institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop the COVID-19 oral medicine, which was approved by the National Medical Products Administration for "treating mild to moderate adult COVID-19 patients" on Jan 28.
The new R&D center will focus on developing new drugs for treating tumors and autoimmune system diseases, and is expected to be put into use in early 2026.
"The Hongqiao CBD integrates advantageous resources in the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Minhang district boasts supportive policies for the high-quality development of the bio-medicine industry," said Ren Jinsheng, chairman of Simcere Pharmaceutical.
According to Ren, the decision to set up the center in Hongqiao was due to the need to leverage the area's comprehensive industrial and innovation chains to grow the company further.
The bio-medicine industry is one of the three world-class pioneering industries that Shanghai is building. Shanghai's Minhang district is currently home to over 600 bio-medicine companies with a combined operating revenue of over 50 billion yuan ($6.91 billion).
