Program supported by a Tianjin Municipal Major Special Project marks Hankang’s move from development partner to originator of Class 1 innovative drugs.
TIANJIN, China | October 2026
Tianjin Hankang Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology CompanyLimited ("Hankang") announced that its program "AI LargeModel-Based Discovery and Development of Innovative Small Molecule Drugs forOncology and Autoimmune Diseases" has recently completed key studies andachieved its interim objectives. The program was selected in 2025 as a TianjinMunicipal Major Special Project in Biomedicine. The milestone representssubstantive progress in Hankang's development of Class 1 innovative drugs, thecategory reserved for novel drugs not previously marketed anywhere in the worldunder China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) classification.
About the Program
· Support: Tianjin Municipal Major Special Project inBiomedicine, approved in 2025
· Therapeutic focus: Oncology and autoimmune diseases
· Modality: Novel small molecules
· Approach: AI large models applied across molecularscreening, structure optimization and activity prediction
Conventional small molecule discovery is long, costly anduncertain. By integrating AI models into the earliest and most iterative stagesof design, the program aims to shorten discovery timelines, reduce developmentcosts and generate candidates for diseases where current treatment optionsremain limited. Hankang will continue to advance the program and furtherdevelop its AI-enabled discovery capabilities.
From Development Partner to Drug Originator
Over more than two decades, Hankang has helped more than 600pharmaceutical companies develop over 200 products. That experience acrossmedicinal chemistry, formulation, analytics, clinical research andmanufacturing now underpins its own discovery pipeline. The company alreadyoffers AI-enabled drug discovery services to partners. With this program, it isapplying the same capabilities to originate its own innovative molecules.
The milestone reflects a broader shift in China'spharmaceutical industry, away from generic and incremental development andtoward novel medicines that address unmet clinical needs.
About Hankang
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tianjin, China, TianjinHankang Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Company Limited is a research-drivenCRO-CDMO providing integrated services across the drug development value chain,including AI-enabled drug discovery, pharmaceutical development, clinicalresearch, bioanalysis, re-evaluation of traditional Chinese medicineinjections, regulatory registration and commercial manufacturing. A subsidiaryof Wuhan Hiteck Biological Pharma Co., Ltd. (300683.SZ), Hankang operates morethan 10 advanced formulation and API development platforms and has developedover 200 products for more than 600 companies in China and internationally. Thecompany holds national- and provincial-level Enterprise Technology Centerdesignations, has led multiple national research projects under China's 11th,12th and 13th Five-Year Plans, and has ranked among the top three in theAll-China Federation of Industry and Commerce's "China Top 50 PharmaceuticalR&D Companies" list for several consecutive years.