ShanghaiMay 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As Shanghai’s first Sino-foreign joint venture in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. carries forward the century-old essence of Shanghai’s TCM heritage, steadily advancing on the path of TCM modernization and internationalization. Its core products, such as Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) and Danning Tablet, have become benchmarks in the field of chronic disease prevention and treatment, backed by solid evidence-based research and clinical value. Recently, Hu Yaojun, President of Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals, was interviewed by the Rational Drug Use Branch of the Guangdong Health Science Popularization Promotion Association. He shared the company’s commitment and innovation regarding core product layout, promotion of rational drug use, grassroots health empowerment, and corporate strategy implementation.
Deepening TCM Modernization to Build a Core Product Matrix
Hu Yaojun introduced that the predecessor of Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals can be traced back to the Shanghai No. 1 Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Factory, established in 1958 through the merger of four century-old pharmacies: Lei Yun Shang, Hu Qing Yu, Tong Han Chun, and Cai Tong De. Formally established in 2001 and majority-owned by Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd. since April 2025, the company has always been committed to inheriting the essence of TCM and driving its modern transformation.
Currently, the company boasts over 70 modern TCM products, including Shexiang Baoxin Pill, Danning Tablet, Zhengqi Tablet, and Angong Niuhuang Pill, along with 10 new drugs under development, comprising 6 Class 1 new drugs and 4 Class 3 new drugs. Its marketing network covers more than 300 prefecture-level cities nationwide, over 30,000 grade-A hospitals, and more than 300,000 retail terminals.
The core product, Shexiang Baoxin Pill, has undergone over 40 years of clinical validation, evolving from an ancient formula into a major modern TCM product. It has won the First Prize of the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award and the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. It has completed several internationally standardized evidence-based studies, such as MUST and LESS, becoming a model for evidence-based development in TCM. Danning Tablet, as Shanghai’s first national Class 3 new drug, has successfully entered the mainstream pharmaceutical market in Canada, forging the “Hutchison Path” for TCM internationalization. Zhengqi Tablet has also followed suit, obtaining a natural product license in Canada, continuously breaking new ground for TCM’s global expansion.
“The value of TCM ultimately speaks through clinical efficacy and scientific evidence,” Hu Yaojun stated. He emphasized that Hutchison Pharmaceuticals adheres to a clinical-need-oriented approach, integrating traditional TCM theories with modern scientific research and evidence-based medicine to make classic formulas safer, more precise, and better suited to the health needs of contemporary populations.
Focusing on Rational Drug Use to Benefit More Patients with Core Products
With the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, particularly among middle-aged and elderly patients who often have comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes, medication complexity is high, leading to issues like improper combination use, inaccurate syndrome differentiation, and incorrect dosing. Hu Yaojun pointed out that Shexiang Baoxin Pill, as a representative TCM with aromatic warming and Qi-tonifying properties, offers the unique advantage of “treating the acute condition in emergencies and addressing the root cause in chronic management.”
When administered sublingually, it takes effect in as little as 30 seconds, with 83.4% of patients experiencing relief from angina within 5 minutes, without the common adverse reactions associated with nitrate drugs. Long-term use can protect vascular endothelium, stabilize plaques, promote therapeutic angiogenesis, and reduce cardiovascular events. Multiple studies have confirmed that when used alone or in combination with antiplatelet, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, or hypoglycemic drugs, it has a good safety profile, does not increase bleeding risk, and is particularly favorable for special populations such as the elderly and those with diabetes.
To promote standardized use, in 2022, Hutchison Pharmaceuticals supported the release of the “Expert Consensus on the Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease with Shexiang Baoxin Pill.” Revised by 198 interdisciplinary experts, this consensus clarifies application recommendations for populations with chronic coronary syndrome, acute coronary syndrome, the elderly, women, and those with metabolic abnormalities. It incorporates high-quality evidence from the MUST study and uses internationally accepted evidence grading standards, serving as a crucial reference for rational clinical drug use.
President Hu Yaojun explained that the company continues to deepen research in special populations, real-world settings, and pharmacoeconomics, releasing findings from the MUST-D diabetes subgroup, MUST-F female subgroup, MUST-W weight subgroup, and LESS study. These efforts fill clinical gaps with data, enabling more individualized and safer medication use.
Empowering Grassroots Terminals to Build a Comprehensive Rational Drug Use Education System
“To ensure high-quality TCM benefits more people, we must bridge the ‘last mile’ at the grassroots level,” Hu Yaojun stated. Since its inception, Hutchison Pharmaceuticals has continuously focused on the grassroots market, striving to build a full-chain education system covering doctors, pharmacists, and patients.
On the clinical front, the company launched the Hutchison Research Fund, which has supported over 170 projects since 2006, resulting in the publication of more than 90 papers. It also organizes the “Golden Microphone” case presentation competition, covering over twenty provinces, to enhance the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine diagnostic and treatment skills of young and mid-career physicians. Collaborating with academic societies, it promotes expert visits to grassroots areas, reaching over 200 cities and counties through teaching rounds, academic lectures, and free clinics to improve chronic disease prevention and treatment at the grassroots level.
On the retail front, in partnership with national pharmacy chains, the company launched the “Healthy China Heart” project, conducting chronic disease training and knowledge competitions for pharmacy staff, publishing professional medication guidance manuals, and creating a pharmacy chronic disease management 3.0 model. It also organizes public welfare activities like “Famous Doctor Live Streams” and “Healthy Respect for the Elderly Month” to educate the public on coronary heart disease prevention and treatment, reinforcing the concept of early prevention and intervention.
In terms of emergency and rehabilitation system building, since 2017, the company has collaborated with the Cardiovascular Health Alliance to advance the construction of chest pain centers and cardiac rehabilitation centers. Over five years, it has supported the certification of more than 1,500 chest pain centers, mobilized over a thousand volunteers, shortened myocardial infarction treatment times, and aimed to accelerate the arrival of the “turning point” for cardiovascular events.
Additionally, the “New Horizons in Pharmacy” project contributes to building a high-quality and efficient healthcare service system nationwide. The “Heart Hope Project” delves into community chronic disease education, and the “Journey to Find Medicine” traces the origins of authentic medicinal herbs. These multi-dimensional, multi-scenario initiatives disseminate the concepts of scientific medication and quality TCM, strengthening the social defense line for rational drug use.
Upholding the Healer’s Original Aspiration to Contribute to a Healthy China with TCM Power
Addressing misconceptions among the public and clinical practitioners, Hu Yaojun acknowledged phenomena such as “prioritizing emergency treatment over prevention,” blind combination of drugs, and neglect of syndrome-based medication, which affect efficacy and pose safety risks. In the future, Hutchison Pharmaceuticals will continue to collaborate with academic platforms like the Rational Drug Use Branch of the Guangdong Health Science Popularization Promotion Association to enhance the authority and relevance of science education, guiding standardized clinical medication and rational patient drug use.
Relying on the “Medical Ethics and Moral Construction Special Fund,” the company continuously promotes the professional spirit of physicians and fosters harmonious doctor-patient relationships. Through a 400 customer service hotline, patient education manuals, and new media science popularization, it establishes efficient communication and feedback mechanisms, ensuring medical information reaches end-users directly and services are close to patients.
Hu Yaojun stated that TCM modernization is not about abandoning tradition but equipping tradition with technological wings. Internationalization is not simply about exporting products but telling Chinese stories in an international language. Hutchison Pharmaceuticals will continue to uphold quality as the bottom line, scientific research as the high line, and responsibility as the defense line. By solidifying product value through evidence-based medicine and safeguarding public health through rational drug use, the company aims to steadily advance on the path of TCM inheritance and innovation, contributing Hutchison’s strength to the construction of a Healthy China.
