In Shanghai's Songjiang enterprise, domestic substitution has been achieved, with Songjiang Haisheng, a company that used to import artificial lenses for tens of thousands of yuan
On July 25th, during the "High quality Development in Shencheng" series of centralized interview activities, the reporter visited the Haohai Biotech International Pharmaceutical Research and Industrialization Base located in Songjiang Economic Development Zone. As a representative of the Songjiang biopharmaceutical industry, Haohai Biotech has successfully broken the foreign monopoly in the artificial lens market and become the seventh largest artificial lens manufacturer in the world and the largest orthopedic joint cavity viscoelastic supplement manufacturer in China.
Realize domestic substitution
Cataract is the most blinding ophthalmic disease in the world, and the only effective treatment currently available is through cataract surgery and implantation of an artificial lens.
"For a long period of time, an imported artificial lens was often sold for tens of thousands of yuan, and the high price made it difficult for patients to afford medication." Wu Jianying, the general manager of Haohai Biotechnology, told reporters that in response to this situation, Haohai Biotechnology chose to use artificial lens research and development as the market entry point, leading the team to research and develop core technologies and fill the domestic gap.
It is understood that artificial lenses refer to a special type of lens made of synthetic materials, through which cataract patients can see the surrounding scenery clearly. For many years, the domestic artificial lens market has mainly been dominated by imported products, especially in the high-end product field, and domestic manufacturers have always been unable to achieve domestic substitution.
After years of continuous independent innovation and industrial integration, Haohai Biotech has successfully broken the monopoly of foreign countries on artificial lenses.
Haohai Shengke Songjiang Factory is also one of the largest production bases for absorbable biomaterials in China, achieving a full industry chain layout of artificial lens products from raw material preparation, optical design, innovative process research and development to large-scale production and professional marketing.
"In addition to intraocular lenses for treating cataracts, there are still many 'domestic gaps' that need to be filled in many sub fields of ophthalmology and orthopedics." Wu Jianying said that the road to overcoming difficulties with' domestic substitution 'is a long and arduous one, and the pace of technological research and innovation cannot stop.
Emphasize the transformation of scientific research achievements
In Wu Jianying's view, the key to Haohai Biotechnology's breakthroughs in fields such as artificial lenses lies in the company's emphasis on the transformation of scientific research achievements. "The vitality of scientific research results lies in the transformation of application results. Without solving the problem of market and technology integration and adaptation, scientific research cannot be carried out sustainably." Wu Jianying said that sometimes enterprises need research and development support and cannot find suitable research and development institutions. The results of research and development institutions such as universities lack market application scenarios and are shelved and unable to be produced and transformed.
At Haohai Biotechnology, many early research achievements come from research institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Subsequently, technology is promoted through universities and combined with hospitals for clinical transformation, achieving the integration of scientific research, clinical practice, and manufacturing processes.
Through the integration of education, technology, and talent development, Haohai Biotechnology has achieved a series of development and scientific research achievements: it has won the domestic market share championship for ophthalmic viscoelastic agents and surgical anti adhesive agents for 15 consecutive years, and has ranked first in the domestic orthopedic joint cavity viscoelastic supplement market share for 8 consecutive years. It has maintained its market position as the second largest producer of external human epidermal growth factor in China for 8 consecutive years.
At present, Haohai Biotechnology has two national second prize products for scientific and technological progress, and has established two national level R&D platforms: a national enterprise technology center and a national level postdoctoral research workstation. It also has multiple provincial and ministerial level technology and R&D transformation platforms and a Shanghai academician expert workstation. It has established a global collaborative R&D system in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Israel. As of the end of 2022, Haohai Biotechnology has undertaken 12 national level major projects, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, and more than 40 major scientific and technological research and development projects in Shanghai. It has applied for more than 500 patents, including 100 authorized invention patents and dozens of international invention patents. It has also drafted or participated in the revision of 10 industry standards for biomaterials and medical devices.
"The development of enterprises cannot do without a good development environment. In the field of research and development, we leverage the resources of Songjiang University City, cooperate with universities such as Donghua University and Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology, strengthen school enterprise interaction, and achieve good results." Wu Jianying said that through the major research and development platform and academician expert workstations of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor in the Yangtze River Delta, enterprise research and development innovation has entered the "fast lane".
It is reported that since the promotion of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor National Strategy in 2016, Songjiang District has strengthened the introduction and cultivation of major research and development platforms. Including key laboratories, engineering technology research centers, etc., Songjiang has introduced and cultivated more than 300 research and development institutions, including G60 Brain Intelligence Science and Technology Innovation Base, Shanghai Institute of Analytical Technology Industry, Chenshan Park, the Molecular Plant Science Innovation Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc. At present, the number of academician and expert workstations for enterprises in Songjiang District has reached 81, ranking among the top in the city, injecting a continuous stream of high-end intellectual resources into the upgrading of the science and technology industry level in Songjiang District.
Wu Jianying stated that with the help of the G60 Science and Technology Innovation Corridor in the Yangtze River Delta, Haohai Biotech has built a terminal service network of "hundreds of cities and thousands of stores" in multiple cities in the Yangtze River Delta, and created an industrial layout of "front stores and back factories", striving to become a leading enterprise in the field of biomaterials in China. In the next stage, Haohai Biotechnology will continue to invest in the research and development of new technologies and products guided by the market, continuously expand the application of core technologies in new fields and new indications, continuously improve the company's industry university research synergy, and achieve more domestic substitution.
