The only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company on the list for two consecutive years
HONG KONG, 19 September 2022 – 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 “2021 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List”, organised by the Chinese leading healthcare information platform Menet. Zhaoke Ophthalmology is selected for two consecutive years and is also the only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company on the list.
On 16 September, Menet hosted the “Only innovators go far – ‘2021 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List’ (2021年度「中国生物医药企业创新力百强系列榜单」)” virtual conference. At the meeting, renowned experts and scholars interpreted policy and technological trends, market dynamics and commented on the hot topics of the innovative drug industry, and senior research experts from Menet introduced the methodology of the selection of the list. Dr. Lit-Fui Lau, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Zhaoke Ophthalmology, attended the conference on behalf of Zhaoke Ophthalmology.
Dr. Lit-Fui Lau, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Zhaoke Ophthalmology, commented, “We are very honored to be recognised by the market, organiser and judges, and to be selected on the ‘2021 China Top 100 Innovative Biotech Companies List’. In order to meet the huge ophthalmic unmet medical needs in China, Zhaoke Ophthalmology has been focusing on self-developed drugs and in-licensing innovative ophthalmic drugs from overseas, and is committed to improving the visual health of the Chinese public. As the only ophthalmic pharmaceutical company among the top 100 innovative companies, it reflects our leading innovative position in the ophthalmic sector. This honor is attributed to our strong R&D team and deep domain expertise. Over the past year, the Company has achieved a number of milestones in the development of innovative drugs, including the acceptance for review of the NDA of the dry eye treatment, Cyclosporine A Ophthalmic Gel, by the NMPA; the early completion of patient enrollment of the two concurrent phase III clinical studies of myopia drug NVK002; in-licensing innovative presbyopia drugs BRIMOCHOLTM PF and Carbachol PF from our partner Visus, which are undergoing Phase III clinical trials in the United States; and the first patient enrollment of the phase III clinical trial of TAB014 for the treatment of wAMD, etc., these have all demonstrated the efficient execution ability of our team.”
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, “Innovation is the DNA and mission of Zhaoke Ophthalmology, and is also the top priority of the development of China's pharmaceutical industry. We will continue to leverage our 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.”
