Hand in hand, working together—Shengshi Taikang selected as a key innovation team in Gusu

Today, the official list of selected candidates for the "2022 Gusu Leading Talents Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship" was unveiled. Wang Tong, Hao Yan, and Zhao Jiahong—three core members of the executive team from Shengshi Taikang—have been successfully chosen as part of a highly prestigious, game-changing innovation team, thanks to their project focused on "Developing innovative dual-target drugs using an integrated drug R&D platform."

Founded in 2010 in Suzhou Industrial Park, Shengshi Taikang boasts a core team with decades of global experience spanning the entire lifecycle of pharmaceuticals. The company is dedicated to the research, development, and commercialization of groundbreaking small-molecule innovative drugs aimed at delivering transformative therapies. Leveraging an integrated drug R&D technology platform and a diverse business perspective, Shengshi Taikang has built a robust pipeline of cutting-edge treatments, targeting key therapeutic areas such as diabetes management, cancer therapy, and rare diseases.

From left to right: Hao Yan, Wang Tong, Zhao Jiahong

Dr. Wang Tong, as the Chief Scientific Officer of Shengshi Taikang, brings over two decades of comprehensive experience in drug discovery and development, as well as pharmaceutical R&D management, gained from leading U.S. pharmaceutical companies and research institutions. A strategic scientist with a proven track record of breaking through critical technologies, pioneering emerging disciplines, and driving innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Wang has been recognized at multiple levels since joining Shengshi Taikang—earning prestigious titles as a science and technology leader. Under his leadership, the company has embraced cutting-edge, innovative thinking and advanced technological approaches, successfully integrating them to establish a robust, end-to-end platform for new drug development and commercialization. Guiding the company’s R&D team, Dr. Wang has accelerated the advancement of Shengshi Taikang’s diverse pipeline of promising drug candidates, with several key programs already advancing into clinical and late-clinical stages.

As Senior Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Synthesis Division at Shengshi Taikang, Hao Yan brings nearly three decades of expertise in drug design, molecular structure optimization, and scale-up manufacturing. He is a seasoned industry expert with deep experience spanning from early-stage drug screening to the full product development lifecycle. Since joining Shengshi Taikang, Hao has been responsible for overseeing the company’s comprehensive approach to new drug development—leading the initial compound exploration, refining mid-stage synthetic routes, and managing late-stage active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production. Additionally, he spearheaded the establishment of the company’s robust Industrialized Production Quality Control System (QMS), which integrates advanced international quality management principles while aligning seamlessly with regulatory requirements from China, the U.S., and the European Union—ensuring rigorous quality assurance throughout every phase of drug development and manufacturing.

Dr. Zhao Jiahong, as Chief Medical Officer of Shengshi Taikang, brings over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical clinical trials and team management, and serves as an external expert for the CDE. He boasts extensive hands-on expertise in medical affairs, early-stage drug development, clinical development strategies, and international multi-center clinical trials—having led or contributed to more than 600 clinical projects. Dr. Zhao also has deep insights into post-marketing drug re-evaluation efforts, having participated in the Phase IV clinical study of sitagliptin in China. Since joining Shengshi Taikang, he has taken full responsibility for overseeing the company’s critical initiatives, including new drug clinical development strategies, pathways, and post-launch expansion studies.

Under the leadership of the executive team led by the three key figures mentioned above, Shengshi Taikang's product pipeline has achieved groundbreaking progress at every stage. Notably, the company's first-in-class innovative drug, phosphate senglitagliptin, has already entered the final stages of Phase III clinical trials, positioning it to fill the critical gap in domestically developed DPP-4 inhibitors. Among the anti-cancer drugs currently in development, three have successfully advanced into clinical trials. Notably, CGT-6321, a dual FGFR/VEGFR inhibitor, has already completed dosing of its first patient in the Phase I clinical trial for advanced solid tumors—marking a promising step toward becoming a potential "first-in-class" therapy in the treatment of solid cancers. The CXCR4 antagonist CGT-1881 is used for hematopoietic stem cell mobilization and is more conveniently administered orally. Meanwhile, the next-generation ALK/RET inhibitor CGT-9475 holds promise in addressing key clinical challenges in lung cancer treatment, such as drug resistance and brain metastasis.