Local pharmaceutical company wins provincial science award

By Chen Si.

Yichang HEC Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Yichang HEC Pharma) has recently won the Second Prize of the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award.

At the Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Conference, the company’s new project titled "New Green Biomanufacturing Technology for Bulk Antibiotics Based on Precise Regulation of Cell Factories," received the award. The technology was jointly developed by Yichang HEC Pharma in collaboration with East China University of Science and Technology, Hubei University, and Wuhan Donghu College.

Researchers conduct experiments in the laboratory. Photo by Sun Yumin

The award-winning technology systematically addresses three major industry challenges: suboptimal strain performance, low production efficiency, and difficult separation and purification processes.

In erythromycin production, the new technology has increased the extraction rate from 74 percent to 80 percent and raised the recovery rate of sodium thiocyanate, a key auxiliary material, to over 92 percent.

Notably, the production process has achieved "zero addition" of flocculants and filter aids, while solvent consumption has been reduced by more than 50 percent.

Yichang HEC Pharma specializes in the production of erythromycin, lincomycin, and enzyme preparations. It operates the world's largest and most advanced macrolide active pharmaceutical ingredient production base, accounting for more than 65 percent of the global market.

"When working with microorganisms, even the slightest deviation can affect product quality. Our task is to achieve precise control and dynamic optimization," said Yu Zhenhua, director of the Fermentation Process Laboratory at the company's research institute.

The R&D team has established a new industrial strain-breeding technology, enabling the selection of high-yield, stable, and high-quality strains.

They have also developed a fermentation process optimization technology driven by data and metabolic models, allowing precise control and efficient scaling of complex microbial fermentation processes, ensuring stable and efficient production.

Additionally, the team has further reduced costs and environmental impact through waste resource recycling.

"This not only improves product purity but also significantly reduces costs and environmental pressure," Yu stated.

For the lincomycin hydrochloride product, impurity levels are well below industry standards. The company expects sales to reach 3.8 billion yuan by 2025 and currently holds more than 40 core invention patents.

Fang Yonghua, Sun Yumin, Xu Lei also contributed to this story