——Press conference for public listing of Chidamide (Epidaza®), a novel drug under “China 863 Program” and “Significant New Drugs Development Project” held in Shenzhen
According to Technology Daily, on 27 Jan 2015, Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences Ltd. (Chipscreen) held a press conference to announce the public listing of Chidamide (Epidaza®), a significant R&D milestone of “China 863 Program” and “Significant New Drugs Development Project”. This original anti-cancer new drug invented by China is the world’s first approved subtype-selective histone deacetylase oral inhibitor drug to be publicly listed. Furthermore, it’s also the first drug invented in China that US and other advanced Western countries have been authorized for use. This significant breakthrough has immense implications in the history of China’s pharmaceuticals discovery and development.
On 2 Feb 2014, Chipscreen signed an investment and cooperation agreement with Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park (SSCIP) to reside in Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone (CDHT). The objective is to establish a novel pharmaceuticals production base and a regional hub. At the same time, Chipscreen plans to set up a production base for non-tumor/tumor small molecule new drug in South West China that complies with US and European cGMP standards, as well as China GMP standards. It also intends to establish a pilot base for other kinds of large molecular new drugs. The presence of such a world-class biomedical R&D enterprise like Chipscreen will most certainly give the biomedical platform in SSCIP a further boost. Chipscreen has the capability to complete the biomedical industry chain in CDHT, from R&D to production. It will bring great advancement in Chengdu’s biomedical industry, and even increase its impact in biomedical industry on the global stage.
Not long ago, Chengdu Chipscreen Pharmaceutical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences co-organized the “China Medical Innovation Summit • 2014 Chengdu” with SSCIP. During the forum, Dr. Lu Xianping, Chipscreen CEO claimed, “Chengdu’s biomedical industry has a strong foundation in many areas like talent, technology, resources and industries. For example, Sichuan University has a national-level comprehensive new drug research and development platform, the largest New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research Institute, and Huaxi Hospital the global largest single site hospital and a number of world-class new drug R&D platform”. The experts that attended the forum also agreed that Chengdu has a very strong foundation and all-rounded advantages. The attraction of Chengdu’s medical innovation will keep increasing. Furthermore, Chengdu now has the software as well as the hardware capability to have innovative drugs labeled “Made in Chengdu”.
SSCIP relies on the rich resources and strong industry capabilities in Chengdu and advanced management and master planning experience in Singapore to benefit enterprises in SSCIP with advantages from both countries. With the support of China and Singapore governments, SSCIP aims to establish a world-class innovative model city in South West China. SSCIP welcomes local and overseas hi-tech biomedical enterprises to Chengdu, sharing resources with them. Together, they can build a complete biomedical industry ecosystem, enabling Chengdu’s biomedical industry chain to be even more comprehensive, more robust so as to influence the entire South West China and beyond.
About Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences:
Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences, founded by several highly regarded Chinese returnees from the United States in 2001, is a leading integrated biotech company specialized in discovery and development of novel small molecule pharmaceuticals. The company has utilized its proprietary chemical genomics-based discovery platform to successfully develop a portfolio of production lines covering from lab to preclinical/clinical research and mass production in three areas of tumor, diabetes/metabolic diseases, nerve/immunology. Chipscreen has applied 67 global patents for their invented compounds, 36 of which have been granted. It also undertakes more than 30 national, provincial major scientific and technological projects, and 5 of them are listed in the national “Significant New Drugs Development Project”. Chipscreen was awarded the "National Science and Technology Progress Award" in 2013.
More Info about Chipscreen: http://www.chipscreen.com/
About Chidamide (Epidaza®): This all-new molecular drug has patent rights all over the world. It’s also the world’s first subtype-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) oral inhibitor drug. It was approved by China Food & Drugs Administration (CFDA) on 23 Dec 2014 to be listed in China’s 1.1 drug category. This marks China’s significant improvement in core skills and abilities in the areas of molecular structure design, target research, safety evaluation, preclinical R&D and industrialization. It is certainly a breakthrough in the history of China’s medical industry. Currently, as there aren’t many available drugs dedicated to treat peripheral T-cell lymphoma, there is a great and urgent clinical need. It took altogether 12 years from the drug’s invention to its public listing. This has been a topic of critical importance for China 863 Program, 11th Five-Year Plan and 12th Five-Year Plan for “Significant New Drugs Development Project”. Chidamide is suitable for lymphoma (peripheral T-cell lymphoma), which is recurring and difficult to treat. Patients can expect to live longer with such treatment. Chipscreen has given the rights to US, Japan, and Taiwan to use this drug to conduct Monotherapy study and in conjunction with other drugs, to treat hematologic disorder, non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer and other solid tumors in clinical research.
More Info about Chidamide: http://www.Epidaza.com
About the biomedical industry development in Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone (where SSCIP resides): CDHT places a very high emphasis in the advancement of biomedical industry. After years of development, it has become the first choice for local and overseas biomedical enterprises to reside in South West China. CDHT has essentially established a complete new drugs R&D system, from drug discovery, drug development, to preclinical evaluation, preclinical trials and pilot production. Regarding to the platform establishment, CDHT has altogether 21 public biomedical platforms, such as the preclinical research (GLP) public platform, biomedical analysis & testing public platform, natural medicine production public platform, and lead drug development public platform. For R&D, CDHT has 237 projects in medicine and medical equipment, of which 6 category-1 drugs have entered the clinical phase. By 2013, there were 595 biological enterprises in CDHT with 25,000 professionals, amongst which 9 elite individuals are listed in China’s most coveted “1000 Plan”. CDHT has been awarded numerous titles under its belt, including the technological hub of modern TCM, national biological hub, national hub for drug export, hi-tech hub for developing biomedicine and medical equipment. Besides SSCIP, it has two other specialized biomedical parks to serve the biological enterprises.
More info about CDHT:
http://www.chengduhitech.co.uk/
Related links:
Article from Technology Daily of Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences’ Chidamide (Epidaza®):
http://www.wokeji.com/shouye/zxfxycx/201501/t20150128_951211.shtml
Press release of Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences’ Chidamide (Epidaza®):
http://www.chipscreen.com/News/201501090330410995002291.html?id=0
Article from Chengdu Economic Daily reporting about Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences settling in SSCIP:
http://e.chengdu.cn/html/2014-02/28/content_456393.htm
Article from Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone regarding the “China Medical Innovation Summit • 2014 Chengdu” co-organized by SSCIP and Chengdu Chipscreen Pharmaceutical:
http://www.cdht.gov.cn/cdht/article.do?act=detail&id=00035384
