In recent years, Zherong has used medicinal materials as a medium to stimulate high-quality industries and extend the industrial chains. The developing trend of the pharmaceutical industry gradually emerges. The total amount of the pharmaceutical industry and the number of new pharmaceuticals registrations rank among the top counties in the province. This “Medicine City in Eastern Fujian” is also included in the province’s 100billion RMB industrial cluster promotion plan.
In the greenhouse of Tianren Pharmaceutical the green ginseng is growing well. This is the new provenance of virus-free and disease-resistant ginseng “Tiankang No. 1” recently developed by the company, which can control the quality of Zherong Taizi ginseng from the root. In Mindong Lijiexun Pharmaceutical the three research directions are microsphere materials, peptide medicines, and microsphere freeze-drying, focusing on the development of long-acting sustained-release freeze-dried microsphere preparations.
Recently, the reporter visited a number of pharmaceutical factories in Zherong. In the park of the pharmaceutical factory, visitors can really feel the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Zherong County, and also the development track of this “Medicine City in Eastern Fujian” from scratch.
Find the right path, focus and use force accurately
The key to promoting the high-quality development of the county economy lies in cultivating leading industries and further strengthening and improve industry support. Zherong has a good ecological environment and superior climatic conditions, which provide the right natural conditions for the planting of ginseng. As early as the Qing Dynasty, there were medicinal materials such as ginseng planted, and the folks have always maintained the tradition for hundreds of years. Zherong County took advantage of history and chose to develop the biomedical industry and build the “Medicine City in Eastern Fujian”.
In 1985, the Eastern Fujian Pharmaceutical Factory settled in Zherong, marking the official start of Zherong’s pharmaceutical industry. In 2002, Zherong County established the Pharmaceutical Development Bureau to coordinate and arrange special funds every year to support the development of ginseng and its pharmaceutical industry, and to cultivate the construction of “Medicine City in Eastern Fujian” as the key and core of county economic development.
Since 2012, a batch of biomedical companies have been completed and put into operation, and the number of pharmaceutical and related companies has increased to 20. Guangshengtang became the first listed private company in the city. Pharmaceutical companies such as Lijiexun and Tianren were selected as key provincial listed reserve companies. As of 2016, the tax revenue of the pharmaceutical industry was 4.5 times the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan(2006-2010).
At present, the county has a planting area of over 4500 hectares of Chinese medicinal materials, including over 2800 hectares of ginseng, with an annual output of about 5000 tons. In 2019, the total output value of the large-scale pharmaceutical industry was 880 million RMB, an increase of 9.9%, and the tax revenue was 73.08 million RMB, accounting for nearly one-fifth of Zherong’s annual tax revenue and 55.63% of the county’s manufacturing tax revenue. A new “Medicine City” is emerging.
Technological talents drive to enhance industry stamina
The pharmaceutical industry is a high-tech industry that requires constant research and development of new products to adapt to the new development environment. For this reason, Zherong insists on scientific and technological innovation as the first driving force and strengthens the driving role of technology and talents.
In terms of science and technology, the county currently has 22 pharmaceutical research and development joint institutions, 32 new pharmaceutical products developed and marketed, including more than 10 new medicines with independent intellectual property rights, and more than 20 scientific research projects are under development and awaiting industrialization of biotechnology and new medicine. The small green sprout in the culture bottle, named “Tiankang No. 1,” is an important scientific and technological innovation achievement of Tianren Pharmaceutical during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period (2016-2020).
According to Mrs. Jiang Huirong, Chief Engineer of Tianren Pharmaceutical Introduction: “At that time, facing problems such as degradation of the quality of ginseng seeds and irregular varieties on the market, we began to study the virus-free and disease-resistant tissue culture seedling ‘Tiankang No. 1’ in 2013, and it is now possible to realize large-scale production.” The research and development of “Tiankang No. 1” allowed the original single ginseng industry to extend from planting to the stage of seedling breeding. “In the future, the seedlings will be regulated and standardized. And where this standard comes from, it is from our Zherong,” Mrs. Jiang says.
In terms of talents, further promotion of the pilot work of strengthening the county with more talents is needed. At present, the county has hired more than 10 experts and professors to establish the advisory group and formed an R&D platform with two pharmaceutical enterprise technology research centers such as Guangshengtang and Lijiexun as the backbone, and the innovative team of two academician workstations, one national-level expert, and five provincial-level experts as the core.
The brand drives to increase the market share
Zherong County attaches great importance to branding, vigorously develops the branding work. In recent years, “Zherong Taizishen” has been recognized as “China Well-known Trademark” and “National Geographical Indication Protected Product”, and “Lijiexun” and “Guangshengtang” have been recognized as “China Well-known Trademark”.
Driven by the brand’s radiation effects, Zherong has become the country’s largest and most active ginseng production and marketing area. Guangshengtang’s four major anti-hepatitis B virus medicines account for about 20% of the national market share. Lijiexun’s powder for injection and lyophilized powder for injection have entered the top 20 in China, the annual production and sales volume of omeprazole sodium for injection ranks second at a national level.
After more than 30 years of intensive cultivation, the biomedical industry has now become the strongest economic growth point of Zherong, and it is also one of the leading industries that Zherong is committed to developing. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Zherong County will focus on the cultivation of leading enterprises, the improvement of the development level of the Chinese medicinal materials industry, the construction of market circulation, the platform, and the Chinese medicinal preparation industry. A blueprint will be drawn to the end and moving forward steadily towards the goal of tens of billions of output value.
Source: nd.fjsen.com
