R&D History
In its early days, KPC established Xuesaitong Pharmaceutical Research Institute aimed at utilizing the natural botanical resources of Yunnan to solve the problem of medical shortages in Yunnan. Up to the present day, the institute has over 60 years of drug R&D history and 68 effective patents of invention.

1950-1980
A wide variety of formulations were developed, including urgently needed basic drugs and medicinal materials such as sapolin (an important intermediate of hormone drugs), colchicine and reserpine which reached the international advanced level. This laid the foundation for KPC as a comprehensive pharmaceutical company.


1980-2000
Successful innovated and developed artemether, panax notoginseng and gastrodin products, which reached an internationally advanced level. These three series of products were first put into industrial production by KPC. And later, it began to research and develop ethnic drugs and high-tech preparations including freeze-dried powder for injection, sustained release preparation and controlled release preparation.


The 21st Century
A new stage of development has been entered, with innovative new natural drugs such as Pailike and innovative antimalarial drug ARCO, which is a groundbreaking compound based on natural substances and is the first single dose administration antimalarial drug in the world. In addition, this century has seen the formulation of a development plan targeting the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and gradual expansion into the field of chronic disease.


R&D Capability 

KPC Xuesaitong Pharmaceutical Research Institute aims at taking the road of combing independent research with joint development based on its own strengths and fully take advantage of the abundant natural drug resources of Yunnan. It occupies a leading place in terms of phytoextraction, quality research and preparation research; and it leading the way domestically in terms of research, development and pilot production of semi-synthetic drugs. 


◆National Enterprise Technical Center Awarded by the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, General Administration of Customs and State Administration of Taxation.  

◆National Innovative (Pilot) Enterprise Granted by the Ministry of Science and Technology, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and All-China Federation of Trade Unions. 

◆National Model Enterprise for Technology Innovation Affirmed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance.

◆Laboratory for National Standard Sample Definite Value of Natural Products Granted by specialist team of SAC/TC118 on standard samples of natural product. 

◆Postdoctoral Scientific Research Workstation Approved by the National Ministry of Personnel and in cooperation with Yunnan University and the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.


R&D Team

KPC continues to follow a development path based on industry-university-research partnerships and has a professional technical R&D team majoring in medicine and biological sciences, who have made a huge contribution to new product R&D for the company.


Technological Innovation Team of Biological Research for the medicinal product for treating of cerebral apoplexy: leading by Yang Zhaoxiang, who is one of the Innovative Talents of Yunnan and the director of Xuesaitong Pharmaceutical Research Institute, with the team members including top-level talents Doctor Zhang Jianwen, national new drug evaluation experts and senior engineer Shang Jianhua to carry out innovative biological research to natural drugs primarily used for treating of cerebral apoplexy.


Diabegone Innovation Project Team: leading by Chief Scientist Professor Wang Qinghua and Doctor of Biology, Liu Riting, the team is developing a long-acting anti-diabetic GLP-1 fusion protein. As a Chinese Canadian, the team leader Professor Wang Qinghua is a special term professor of Fudan University (endocrinology department of Huashan Hospital), an expert from Thousand Talents Program of the Central Organization Department, Chief Scientist of the JDRF Project, CIHR and CDA, chief PI researcher of the 12th Five-Year Plan major special project on innovative drugs by the Ministry of Science and Technology and a medical and science advisor to Sweden DiamydMedical AB. 。


Biology Research and Evaluation Innovation Team:includes senior researchers Doctor Zhang Jianwen, an American Chinese who is a top-level overseas talent,  and Shang Jianhua, who is a national biological evaluation expert for new drugs; their main work includes pharmaceutical biology evaluation and related research work.


Drug Structure Modification Innovation Team: leading by top level talent Doctor Li Jianfeng and doctors from Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Their main work is to do the researches related to structure modification and synthesis of drugs.

 

R&D innovation team for new preparations:composed of five core scientific and technical personnel from the preparation specialized committee of Chinese Pharmaceutical Association. They mainly engaged in researching of new preparations of drugs and undertaking tasks from other units.


Yunnan R&D Innovation Team for the Artemether series of products: altogether 13 people, of whom six are core members, one with a special allowance granted by the provincial government, four are being groomed as provincial technological innovation talents, two off-station staff, eight senior engineers and four postgraduates.


Technical Innovations (partial list of honors)

In 1996, the research project of oral schistosomiasis prevention drug was recognized as the National 8th Five-Year Plan Major Scientific Achievement for Tackling Scientific Problem.

In 2000, Luotai Project (Panax notoginseng for injection) won The Best Project in National 15-Year Patents Achievements Exhibition;

In 2001, the application and basic research project on preventing schistosomiasis japonica, schistosomiasis mansoni and schistosomiasis haematobia by Artemther was awarded the Second Prize in the 2001 National Scientific and Technological Progress.

In 2001, Luotai Project won the prize of the National 9th Five-Year plan Outstanding New Product of Technological Innovation.

In 2007, compound Artemther R&D, internationalization and industrialization project won the Second Prize in the 2007 National Award for Scientific and Technological Progress.

In 2009, the antimalarial medicine Coartem won the European Inventor Award.

In 2009, the development and international market expansion of the new antimalarial Compound Naphthoquine Phosphate was awarded the Second Prize of People's Liberation Army Scientific and Technological Progress.

In 2014, several national projects were undertaken, including the “Major New Drug Development” and the major new drug innovation projection “Evaluation of the Safety and Post-Marketing Re-Evaluation of Panax Notoginseng for injection (lyophilization)” of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.


Quality Control

Over the course of its 60-year development, KPC has invested a large amount of money into GMP technical modification for oral dosage forms plant, injection plants and API plants. All production equipment and facilities are strictly designed and installed in accordance with the GMP standards and have passed national and international GMP inspections, this indicates that KPC has advanced technical level as well as a complete production and quality management system. Since 1986, China Food and Drug Administration has implemented spot-checks on the quality of medicines and KPC’s market spot-check qualified rate has continuously remained at 100%. In order to ensure product quality and safety of medicines, quality management uses relevant standards and records to establish a comprehensive quality assurance system for monitoring and management of the entire process.


◆Freeze-dried injection plant, small-volume injection plant and oral dosage plant have passed CFDA GMP inspection;

◆Freeze-dried powder for injection, small-volume injection, API I (Artemether), (API) gastrodin, Acegastrodine and Calcium Levulinate have passed CFDA GMP inspection;

◆No.4 phytochemistry plant has passed GMP inspection of WHO, TGA, and FDA;