Jiangsu Science and Technology Daily, Maker Weekly – Feature: Yu Qiang: No "Old" Remedies, No Shortcuts—Focusing Steadfastly on Developing a First-Generation Chinese Diabetes Drug

Chatty and quick-talking, with a knack for articulating insights on management and financing, Yu Qiang, founder and CEO of Shengshi Taikang Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., seems to possess entrepreneurial talent far beyond that of most R&D-driven entrepreneurs. In fact, from his undergraduate studies all the way through his postdoctoral research, he remained deeply committed to scientific inquiry—until a certain forum finally "activated his entrepreneurial instincts," prompting him to take the leap into the world of startup entrepreneurship. Since then, he’s been wearing multiple hats simultaneously: steering the company’s management, driving cutting-edge R&D, and shaping its strategic direction, all while carving out a significant niche in China’s burgeoning landscape of domestically developed pharmaceutical innovation.

Compensation “ Poor ”  Employees value growth opportunities and willingly take them. “ 50% off ” Salary

As a company dedicated to innovative drug development, Shengshitaike’s workforce is primarily composed of R&D professionals—more than three-quarters of its employees are involved in research and development, and over 50% of its technical staff hold master’s degrees or higher. According to Yu Qiang, most of the company’s talent comes from within the province, highlighting a remarkable alignment between talent cultivation at Jiangsu’s universities and research institutions and the growing needs of high-tech enterprises—a truly positive and encouraging trend.

When it comes to highly educated talent, the reporter expected to hear a story about "desperately seeking talent and offering lucrative salaries," but unexpectedly, Yu Qiang turned out to be somewhat "stingy" when it came to high-caliber professionals.

It’s well known that developing new drugs is incredibly expensive—yet before securing its Series A funding, Shengshi Taikang had already burned through just 20 million RMB. Yu Qiang told reporters that the secret to "saving money" was simple: the founding team, including himself, took almost no salary, and many employees earned only half of the market rate until the Series A round arrived. "Of course, we can’t keep squeezing our team indefinitely," he added. "Once the company secured the Series A funding, we immediately boosted employee salaries across the board—and even introduced equity-based incentives as part of our compensation strategy."

When asked about the secret to retaining employees despite "low salaries," Yu Qiang sincerely replied that the staff are indeed inspired by the entrepreneurial passion of the few founders—and drawn in by the company's promising growth prospects.

Pan Huiping, the post-85s director at Shengshi Taikang, deeply understands this sentiment. Previously working at major pharmaceutical companies like Kangyuan Pharmaceutical, Pan has been involved in the development of several innovative drugs—so much so that, as Yu Qiang puts it, "She’s got more first-in-class drugs under her belt than I do, and her resume is way shinier than mine." At the company, everyone calls her "Director Pan Shuang," since she leads not one but two key departments: the Formulation Division and the Project Operations Department.

"After appointing her as co-director, we’re continuing to nurture her talent—for instance, by involving her in the CEO training program hosted by our campus, or sending her to represent the company at the 'Entrepreneurial Jiangsu' tech startup competition. Our goal is to build a robust talent pipeline, ensuring that Shengshi Taikang remains a company committed to sustained growth and ongoing innovation," said Yu Qiang. "Developing innovative drugs is inherently risky, but by cultivating a strong pipeline of skilled professionals, even if one of our projects hits a setback, we’ll always have fresh initiatives ready to move forward. And even if key team members eventually leave the company, their expertise will continue to thrive within the broader pharmaceutical industry."

Yu Qiang said that when it comes to "money," Shengshi Taikang is certainly not the highest in the industry. However, what sets the company apart is its commitment to providing employees with room for growth and opportunities—actively helping them build experience and broaden their perspectives. This is precisely why many talented individuals are drawn to Shengshi Taikang from other companies, and why they choose to stay here long-term.

"Becoming aware," Chi Bo only came into contact with the concept of venture capital in the post-period.

From attracting talent to securing funding, Yu Qiang’s clear thinking and articulate communication make him seem like a natural-born entrepreneur. In fact, Yu Qiang comes from a distinguished background—starting from his undergraduate studies, he has consistently and diligently pursued scientific research. It wasn’t until his postdoctoral years that he first encountered the concepts of "entrepreneurship" and "investment," realizing there was another path beyond academia.

In 1990, Yu Qiang graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Peking University, completing his bachelor’s thesis under the guidance of Academician Xing Qiyi’s research group. He then joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences to participate in the nation’s key "863" Project. In 1999, he earned his PhD in chemistry from the United States, after which he continued his postdoctoral research under the mentorship of Professor Ronald Borchardt, who at the time served as the president of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).

Yu Qiang told the reporter that his doctoral advisor was a "truly fascinating" person, and his lab brought together experts in areas like bio-target research, medicinal chemistry, and drug evaluation—covering nearly the entire spectrum of the new drug development process. As a result, lab meetings often stretched from morning until late at night. It was in this vibrant environment that he gained a comprehensive, high-level understanding of every stage involved in developing innovative pharmaceuticals.

During his postdoctoral period, Professor Borchardt enjoyed hosting various small forums—among them were sessions designed to help researchers with their career planning. It was at one of these forums that Yu Qiang first encountered the concepts of "entrepreneurship" and "investment," realizing for the first time that researchers could also venture into the world of business.

In 2005, Yu Qiang independently founded CGENETECH in the United States, establishing a technology strategy centered on the design of novel drug precursor molecules. Targeting the global pharmaceutical R&D market, he successfully positioned CGENETECH as one of the leading global companies renowned for its cutting-edge expertise in this field.

After graduating with a master's degree, Yu Qiang's university classmate, Ding Juping, started his own business back in China. The two have stayed in touch ever since, often finding their entrepreneurial ideas surprisingly aligned. After Yu Qiang founded CGENETECH in the U.S., he also began collaborating with Ding Juping on business ventures. Later, when Yu Qiang returned to China, he joined forces with Ding Juping—and two fellow alumni from Academician Xing Qiyi's research group—to establish Shengshi Taikang.

It was also at CGENETECH that he discovered a precursor molecule with potential for treating type 2 diabetes. Later, the targeted drug Sitagliptin, developed based on this precursor, became Shengshi Taikang's flagship product.

R&D "slowly" starts from scratch to achieve a more perfect outcome.

Yu Qiang explained that sengliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor—a targeted drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. In 2006, Merck & Co. of the United States launched the first DPP-4 inhibitor, sitagliptin. Thanks to its effective blood sugar-lowering effects and lack of side effects such as obesity or hypoglycemia, this class of drugs now accounts for 27% of the global diabetes medication market.

At CGENETECH, Yu Qiang discovered a precursor molecule that exhibits a similar effect to sitagliptin. While researching diabetes-related information, he came across a startling fact: China is a global leader in diabetes prevalence, with the highest number of diabetic patients worldwide—but its treatment standards still lag behind those of Europe and North America. At the same time, Yu Qiang heard growing domestic recognition of the importance of the biopharmaceutical industry. In 2010, he returned to China armed with this groundbreaking molecule, determined to develop his own Class 1 new drug.

Thanks to its promising new drug project, Shengshi Taikang quickly secured approval for a major national initiative under the "12th Five-Year Plan" focused on innovative drug development. However, after initiating animal testing, Yu Qiang soon realized that the drug’s efficacy wasn’t as strong as initially anticipated. Known for his mantra—“Don’t rely on ‘old’ drugs”—Yu Qiang often emphasized to his partners the critical importance of staying ahead in the fast-paced world of new drug research. Still, determined to achieve superior results, he boldly decided to scrap the existing approach entirely, completely redesigning the drug from scratch. As a result, the entire project ended up being delayed by one to two years.

In the past two years, an investor once asked Yu Qiang this question: "You’ve been working on sengliflozin for so long—why have you only reached this stage now?" To this, Yu Qiang confidently replied, "We’re indeed a year or two behind schedule, but after starting over, the drug’s efficacy is now far superior."

Currently, sotagliflozin is in the clinical trial phase. Based on the results of 80 clinical trials conducted so far, sotagliflozin has fewer side effects compared to sitagliptin. While sitagliptin requires a daily dose of 100 mg, sotagliflozin only needs to be taken at 50 mg per day.

Bringing a new drug to life is incredibly challenging—so much so that recently, Yu Qiang even experienced both a "shock" and a "surprise" triggered by sengliflozin. At the time, Yu Qiang was in the U.S., where it was morning local time, while back home it was past 10 p.m. Suddenly, he received a call from Ding Juping. The late-night call caught Yu Qiang off guard, immediately sparking his worst fear: that something had gone wrong with the clinical trial. But instead, the news turned out to be far more exciting. It turned out that the leading expert overseeing the clinical trials had reviewed their data—and was so impressed with the drug’s promising results that he couldn’t wait to share the good news. He excitedly called Ding Zong right away, and Ding, equally thrilled, quickly passed the incredible update on to Yu Qiang. “What made this moment truly special,” Yu Qiang reflected, “was that the expert took the time to reach out in the middle of the night—clearly, he genuinely believed in our new drug and recognized its immense potential.”

In addition to sotagliflozin, Shengshi Taikang is also making strategic moves in areas such as cancer and rare diseases, systematically expanding its pipeline of innovative drug development projects. Currently, the company’s Class 3 new drug, teriflunomide—developed specifically for the rare disease multiple sclerosis—has already received clinical trial approval, with commercialization expected no later than 2020 in China. According to Yu Qiang, on May 22 this year, the National Health and Family Planning Commission unveiled the first-ever list of rare diseases, which includes multiple sclerosis. It’s estimated that approximately 30,000 to 50,000 people in China are living with this condition. Meanwhile, the cost of currently approved symptomatic treatments available in China typically exceeds 10,000 RMB per month, whereas teriflunomide is projected to be priced at around two-thirds of that for imported alternatives. Yu Qiang expressed his hope that this domestically produced new drug will bring much-needed relief and optimism to China’s patients suffering from rare diseases.

(Reporter: Liu Liyuan)