Simcere Pharmaceutical Group or Simcere Pharmaceutical ( zh, s=先声药业, ) is a manufacturer and supplier of branded generic

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

in the Chinese market. Its focus is to introduce generic and pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases with high incidence and/or

mortality rate Mortality rate, or death rate, is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular Statistical population, population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically ...

. The company has introduced a generic anti-

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

medication under the brand name, ''Bicun'', and an anti-

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

medication under the brand name, ''Endu''. Its products include

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, anti-stroke medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-cancer medications and other medicines. In addition, it has obtained approvals from the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to manufacture and sell over 210 other products.

Acquisitions

In November 2007, the company acquired Master Luck Corporation Limited, which holds 85.7% of Nanjing Tung Chit Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Products

The Company manufactures and sells 39 pharmaceuticals marketed under various brands. Of these products, 33 are prescription pharmaceuticals and six are

over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...

(OTC) pharmaceuticals. In addition, it is also the distributor of ''Yingtaiqing''-branded generic diclofenac sodium

sustained-release Modified-release dosage is a mechanism that (in contrast to immediate-release dose (biochemistry), dosage) delivers a drug with a delay after its route of administration, administration (delayed-release dosage) or for a prolonged period of time (e ...

capsules, the ''Faneng''-branded generic alfacalcidol soft capsules and the ''Yineng''-branded generic lentinan injection, all of which are prescription pharmaceuticals manufactured by independent third parties.

Endu

(Recombinant Human Endostatin Injection) Recombinant human endostatin is a genetically engineered

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

that interferes with the growth of

blood vessel Blood vessels are the tubular structures of a circulatory system that transport blood throughout many Animal, animals’ bodies. Blood vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to most of the Tissue (biology), tissues of a Body (bi ...

s to a

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

, thereby starving and preventing the growth of

cells. Endu is a modified version of endostatin. Endu has been engineered to contain an additional nine-amino acid sequence to enhance protein purification, solubility and stability and has been shown to improve the function of endostatin. In June 2007, the company acquired an additional 10% equity interest in Yantai Medgenn. The company is conducting Phase IV

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

for Endu in approximately 150 hospitals in China.

Bicun

Bicun is Simcere Pharmaceutical's prescription edaravone injection pharmaceutical for the treatment of strokes. Edaravone is a synthetic-free radical scavenger and has been proved to be effective. Edaravone protects the brain by eliminating excessive free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules occurring in the human body as a result of stroke, an excessive number of which could result in cell damage.

Zailin

Zailin is the brand name for the company's line of generic prescription amoxicillin

, which includes capsules, dispersible tablets, granules and injection. During the year ended December 31, 2007, revenues of Zailin accounted for 21% of the company's product revenues.

Yingtaiqing

Yingtaiqing is the brand name for Simcere Pharmaceutical's generic diclofenac sodium in sustained-release capsules and

gelatin Gelatin or gelatine () is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also be referred to as hydrolyzed collagen, coll ...

dosage format, which is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever and

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

drug used to treat

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

and

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...

. Yingtaiqing sustained-release capsules are prescription pharmaceuticals and are manufactured by a third-party manufacturer, the China Pharmaceutical University Pharmaceutical Company (China Pharmaceutical), and the company has entered into a distribution agreement with China Pharmaceutical to distribute and sell Yingtaiqing sustained-release capsules in China. In 2007, sales of Yingtaiqing accounted for 10.3% of the company's product revenues.

Other Branded Generics

*''Biqi'' is the brand name for its generic OTC anti-

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

pharmaceutical. The Company obtained approval to manufacture and sell ''Biqi'' in November 1999. *''Zaiqi'' is the brand name for the company's

azithromycin Azithromycin, sold under the brand names Zithromax (in oral form) and Azasite (as an eye drop), is an antibiotic medication used for the treatment of several bacterial infections. This includes otitis media, middle ear infections, strep throa ...

granules antibiotics for the treatment of infections. *''Zaike'' is the brand name for its cefaclor in dry suspension antibiotics for the treatment of infections. *''Simcere Kechuanning'' is the brand name for Simcere Pharmaceutical's OTC herbal medicine used for the treatment of

cough A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages which can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and Microorganism, microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex fol ...

s. It comes in oral liquid and tablet formulations. *''Zaikang'' is the brand name for its OTC compound zinc gluconate and

ibuprofen Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to relieve pain, fever, and inflammation. This includes dysmenorrhea, painful menstrual periods, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis. It can be taken oral administration, ...

granules for the treatment of cold symptoms, such as fever, nasal congestion, running nose and sneezing. *''Faneng'' is the brand name for the company's alfacalcidol soft capsules for the treatment of osteoporosis.