The only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company on the list

HONG KONG, 30 September 2021 – Zhaoke Ophthalmology Limited (“Zhaoke Ophthalmology” or the “Company”, SEHK: 6622), a leading ophthalmic pharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of therapies that address significant unmet medical needs, is pleased to announce that Zhaoke Ophthalmology is selected as a “China Top 30 Innovative Small Molecule Drug Developers” on the “2020 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List”, organised by the Chinese leading healthcare information platform Menet. Zhaoke Ophthalmology is also the only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company on the list.

The “2020 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List (2020年度「中国生物医药企业创新力百强系列榜单」” was revealed on 26 September, at the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Conference Centre (苏州金鸡湖国际会议中心), during the sixth China BioMed Innovation and Investment Conference (CBIIC). Dr. Lit-Fui Lau, President and Chief Operating Officer of Zhaoke Ophthalmology, attended the conference and received the award on behalf of Zhaoke Ophthalmology.

Dr. Lit-Fui Lau, President and Chief Operating Officer of Zhaoke Ophthalmology, commented, “We are very honored to be recognised by the market, organiser and judges, and to be selected on the ‘2020 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List’. Zhaoke Ophthalmology is the only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company among the top 100 innovative companies, reflecting our leading innovative position in the ophthalmic sector. This honor is attributed to our strong R&D team and deep domain expertise. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to our team in the past year.”

The “China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List” was launched by Menet (米内网) and it has received enormous support from eminent industry institutions, including the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association (PhIRDA), Tongxieyi, the New Drug Founders Club and the “New Drug Hub for the Greater Bay Area (湾区新药汇)”. The “China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List” aims to provide pivotal support for the transformation and growth of the industry.

The selection criteria for the awards are based on the innovation and commercialisation capabilities of biotech companies, with reference to the “Enterprise Innovation Capability Evaluation System” introduced by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Four major dimensions, namely “investment in innovation”, “results of innovation”, “intellectual property rights” and “innovation drivers”, are considered to evaluate the innovation capability of the candidates. “Investment in innovation” mainly refers to the annual R&D expenses; “results of innovation” mainly refers to the number of NDA approvals, NDA submissions and IND approvals for phase III clinical trials; “intellectual property rights” mainly refers to the number of intellectual property rights owned; and “innovation drivers” mainly refers to the sales of new drugs. In addition, recognition and approvals for self-developed drugs granted by international pharmaceutical regulators, such as the FDA in the US, EMA in the EU and PMDA in Japan, are also considered. According to the classification criteria of “Innovative Small Molecule Drug Developer”, the Company’s R&D pipeline and investment in small molecule drugs exceed 51% of the company’s total R&D pipeline and total R&D investment.

Dr. Lau added, “Zhaoke Ophthalmology will continue to leverage its strong R&D capabilities for new drug development and partner with both domestic and international leading pharmaceutical companies and institutions in order to develop innovative drugs for the global ophthalmic market, thereby addressing significant unmet medical needs with the aim to become a leader in ophthalmology.”