Qilu Pharmaceutical Delivers a Vivid Manifesto of Industrial Patriotism with Its 2025 Sustainability Report

(Source: China Business Times)

Source: China Business Times

At present, the Healthy China strategy is being pushed forward in depth, the "dual carbon" goals are being implemented, and high-quality development has become the only way for the pharmaceuticals industry to transform and upgrade. Recently, Qilu Pharmaceutical Group released the "2025 Sustainable Development Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). This report is not only an annual summary of the company’s implementation of the concept of sustainable development, but also a vivid answer to the expectations of the people and the practice of serving the country through industry.

Breaking the Deadlock: Making "Sky-High Priced Drugs" Accessible to Ordinary Households

If innovative drug research and development is a marathon, then Qilu Pharmaceutical is like a "long-termist" who can endure solitude.

In the field of cancer treatment, there was a time when gefitinib tablets, a targeted drug for non-small cell lung cancer, were priced as high as 500 yuan per tablet, causing many patients to struggle under the heavy financial burden. By the end of 2016, Qilu Pharmaceutical achieved the first domestically produced generic version, reducing the price to about 50 yuan per tablet, significantly easing the burden on patients and making the "astronomically priced drug" accessible to ordinary households.

"One day, we will all be patients." It is this empathy that drives Qilu Pharmaceutical to maintain the "three leading positions" in the generic drug industry. By the end of the reporting period, 222 products had passed the consistency evaluation, 68 were the first in China, and 109 had won bids in national procurement. This demonstrates Qilu Pharmaceutical's original intention to enable ordinary people to use more high-quality domestically produced drugs, and it is also a protection and respect for the patient's right to life.

Qilu Pharmaceutical's globally pioneering next-generation tumor immunotherapy combination antibody, Qibean, has achieved a "1+1>2" synergistic effect in cervical cancer treatment, benefiting over 30,000 patients by the end of the reporting period. The self-developed Qixinke has all its clinical data sourced from Chinese patients – indicating that Qilu Pharmaceutical's drug products are tailored for "Chinese bodies" and aligned with the genetic characteristics of Chinese people.

Data shows that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has invested a total of 21.18 billion yuan in R&D, with the R&D intensity rising to 14.5% by 2025, far exceeding the industry average. Meanwhile, the company emphasizes industry-academia-research collaboration, establishing a joint fund with the National Natural Science Foundation of China and investing 99 million yuan to support fundamental research, promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. This high-intensity investment in R&D is driving Qilu Pharmaceutical to build a globally influential product pipeline in major disease areas such as oncology, immunology, and metabolism, ensuring that China's "medicine bottles" are filled with cutting-edge innovative achievements while also safeguarding the basic needs of people’s livelihood.

Hardcore: "International Quality, National Good Medicine"

There are no small matters when it comes to drug quality; a one-in-a-million quality risk means a total loss of life for patients. At Qilu Pharmaceutical, “A company’s one-in-a-million is the patient’s hundred percent” is not an empty phrase. Qilu Pharmaceutical continuously builds a quality management system aligned with international standards, adhering to the concept of "Forging National Good Medicine with 'International Quality'," and promoting the global accessibility of "Made in China."

This confidence in quality was validated in an emergency test in 2023. At that time, the U.S. FDA faced an urgent shortage of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin injection and issued a global call for help to pharmaceutical companies. Qilu Pharmaceutical air-freighted Chinese-packaged cisplatin injections to the U.S. in just over 70 days, promptly alleviating the local clinical drug shortage. In May 2024, Qilu Pharmaceutical's product received FDA approval, fully demonstrating the FDA's recognition of Qilu Pharmaceutical's comprehensive quality management system and stable supply capabilities.

Quality Strength, Winning Global Discourse Power. As of the end of the reporting period (May 20, 2026), Qilu Pharmaceutical has had 90 standards recognized as international or national reference standards, and five products have obtained the status of U.S. FDA Reference Listed Drugs. Products are exported to more than 110 countries and regions worldwide, with export revenue exceeding US$1.1 billion for the first time in 2025, accounting for over 20% of the group's total revenue.

More notably, Qilu Pharmaceutical is the only company in China that exports formulated products on a large scale to markets such as the US, Europe, and Japan. Its developed ranibizumab injection, as the first ophthalmic biologic drug from China to enter overseas markets, has successfully entered the markets of 14 European countries, showcasing the global competitiveness of "Made in China."

Walking Together: From "Self-Perfection" to "Benefiting the World"

Protecting the ecological environment is as important as protecting life. Qilu Pharmaceutical regards environmental protection as an untouchable development red line, adhering to the principle of "treating the ecological environment like treating life, and researching the improvement of environmental protection processes like researching pharmaceuticals." The company is committed to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly enterprise, actively practicing the "dual carbon" goals with concrete actions, and contributing to green development.

Data shows that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Qilu Pharmaceutical's investment in safety and environmental protection reached 2.537 billion yuan. Eleven of its production subsidiaries passed the ISO14001 Environmental Management System certification, seven were awarded the title of National Green Factory, and eight received provincial or municipal Green Factory/Waste-Free Factory recognition. One subsidiary passed the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) carbon target review, another obtained the first AMRKitemark certification in China’s pharmaceutical industry, and six products completed carbon footprint assessments.

The value of a company is ultimately reflected in its回馈 to society. On the industry chain front, Qilu Pharmaceutical drives the collaborative development of more than 4,300 suppliers, leveraging upstream and downstream output value of over 50 billion yuan. In terms of social公益, Qilu Pharmaceutical's公益 donations reached 130 million yuan in 2025, and through the Qilu Pharmaceutical Charity Foundation, it has launched “LilyLaunch distinctive public welfare projects such as "YAO Health" and "Qilu Benevolent Action Group," benefiting more than 50,000 people.

Looking back at the "14th Five-Year Plan," Qilu Pharmaceutical has vividly demonstrated its original aspiration and responsibility of "Great Medical Integrity, Family and Nation First" with cumulative revenues of 1,763.6 billion yuan, R&D investments of 211.8 billion yuan, and breakthrough after breakthrough as the "first" or "leading" in various fields. "Looking ahead to the '15th Five-Year Plan,' in the face of increasingly fierce global pharmaceutical competition and the growing health needs of the people, Qilu Pharmaceutical will write a new chapter in the sustainable development of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises with more solid innovation confidence, stricter quality management systems, an ingrained green ethos, and a commitment to social responsibility, contributing more Chinese strength to the construction of Healthy China and the advancement of the global pharmaceutical industry," said a relevant representative of Qilu Pharmaceutical.