Safe Pharmaceutical Completes Nearly RMB 200 Million Series B Financing to Enhance Integrated Innovative Drug CRO Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Beijing SAFE Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “SAFE Pharmaceutical”) recently announced the completion of its Series B financing round, raising nearly RMB 200 million.Led by China Life Health Industry Fund, with additional investments from Legend Capital and Mofang Capital, and participation in the follow-on investment by the management team and Probe Capital, which also served as the exclusive financial advisor for this round of financing.. The funds raised will be primarily used to expand the company’s one-stop pharmaceutical CRO platform and to build an entrepreneurial platform for leading talents in the innovative drug industry.

It is reported that this marks the fourth financing round completed by Saifu Pharmaceutical since its establishment, following previous angel, Pre-A, and Series A rounds. Notably, Legend Capital and Mifang Capital were also investors in Saifu Pharmaceutical’s Series A financing.

Commenting on the successful completion of this funding round, Liu Yang, Chairman of Saifu Pharmaceutical, stated: “This achievement is attributable to our differentiated service capabilities. In response to the R&D needs of domestic innovative pharmaceutical companies in the current stage and over the next decade, Saifu Pharmaceutical has built a comprehensive, one-stop service platform tailored to the requirements of innovative drug development. The end-to-end service capabilities provided by this platform can effectively accelerate the new drug development process for innovative pharmaceutical enterprises.”

Furthermore, Saifu Pharmaceutical boasts a high-caliber core R&D team with extensive experience in new drug development and evaluation. More than half of the team members hold master’s degrees or higher and possess over ten years of experience working in national-level GLP centers, while more than 50 members hold doctoral degrees or have overseas academic backgrounds. The company also features a multidisciplinary expert panel for drug review, anchored by specialists from prestigious national institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, and the former Academy of Military Medical Sciences. This panel includes more than ten experts specializing in drug registration review, GLP inspections, medical device evaluation, and GCP compliance, thereby ensuring the technical professionalism of all the company’s service modules.

Addressing the unmet development needs of innovative pharmaceutical companies at the current stage, Saifu Pharmaceutical has integrated collaborative pathways among traditional single-discipline CRO services and established a one-stop pharmaceutical CRO service platform. This platform provides comprehensive professional outsourcing services for pharmaceutical R&D enterprises, helping to shorten development cycles and reduce R&D costs.

Since completing its Series A financing in 2018, Liu Yang stated that the most significant change for the company has been the tangible realization of its initial vision for a one-stop service model. Saifu Pharmaceutical is a platform-based company capable of providing one-stop R&D solutions to pharmaceutical enterprises. Its offerings encompass professional technical services—including pharmaceutical R&D consulting, regulatory submissions (to the NMPA and FDA), pharmaceutical formulation, pharmacology and efficacy studies, animal models, drug metabolism analysis, non-clinical safety evaluation, bioanalysis, Phase I clinical trials, and pharmacovigilance—as well as innovative drug incubation and investment services.

It is reported that at the end of last year, Saifu Pharmaceutical’s Safety Assessment Center obtained nine approval documents for safety assessment testing qualifications issued by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). This milestone signifies that the company can provide innovative pharmaceutical enterprises with one-stop pharmaceutical CRO services—from pharmacology and efficacy studies and metabolic analysis to toxicology and Phase I clinical trials—that comply with both China’s NMPA GLP regulations and the FDA’s GLP quality system standards. In addition, Saifu Pharmaceutical has developed multiple specialized technologies, including a drug dependence testing platform and a drug discrimination testing platform, both of which are currently leading in China. The company has established comprehensive technologies for evaluating the efficacy and safety of emerging cell therapies, gene therapies, and COVID-19 vaccines, which have attracted significant public attention. Currently, Saifu Pharmaceutical has launched non-clinical and clinical collaborations with nearly 100 innovative pharmaceutical companies in China on various R&D pipelines, including chemical drugs, antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies, oncolytic virus drugs, microbial drugs, and traditional Chinese medicines. Some of these candidates have received NMPA Investigational New Drug (IND) approvals, and several dual-filing projects for both China and the United States are currently under review.

Regarding key priorities for post-financing development, Liu Yang stated that Saifu Pharmaceutical aims to build an entrepreneurial platform where talent in the pharmaceutical R&D industry can fully showcase their capabilities. Adhering to the talent philosophy of “enabling capable individuals to achieve results, and empowering those who deliver results to undertake greater endeavors,” Saifu Pharmaceutical will spare no effort in attracting outstanding domestic and international talent, thereby contributing to the faster and more effective advancement of drug development for innovative pharmaceutical companies.

Regarding the investment in Saifu Pharmaceutical,Zhang Leidi, Head of China Life Equity Investment CompanyStatement: As the policy and R&D environments for innovative drug development in China continue to improve, the domestic CRO industry is facing unprecedented opportunities. Saifu Pharmaceutical boasts a first-class team and extensive industry experience. It has not only taken the lead in laying out innovative therapies but also established leading advantages in multiple fields, including new drug safety assessment. Meanwhile, by building a one-stop pharmaceutical service platform, an advanced management system, and a forward-looking development strategy, Saifu Pharmaceutical has gained market and customer recognition in a short period, emerging as a rising star in China’s CRO industry. China Life Healthcare Fund hopes to join hands with Saifu Pharmaceutical to jointly facilitate the transformation, upgrading, and innovative development of China’s biopharmaceutical industry.

Wang Jianfei, Managing Director at Legend CapitalStatement: The founding team of Saifu Pharmaceutical possesses a clear development strategy, extensive industry experience, and strong execution capabilities. The gradual implementation of the company’s one-stop service model has bolstered confidence among both the team and investors, while better meeting customer needs. Legend Capital is pleased to continue supporting Saifu Pharmaceutical’s growth through the introduction of industrial resources, management enhancement, and capital investment. Saifu Pharmaceutical will provide high-quality CRO services to outstanding Chinese biotech companies.

Sun Lei, Managing Director of Mifang CapitalStatement: With the booming development of domestic innovative drug companies, preclinical CROs have gradually refined their division of labor and achieved rapid business growth. While focusing on the innovative drug sector, we are also placing significant emphasis on the preclinical CRO field, strategically investing across the entire new drug R&D value chain. Led by an experienced team of industry experts, Saifu Pharmaceutical has successfully established a one-stop CRO service platform, demonstrating the team’s high execution efficiency and outstanding operational capabilities. We are delighted to partner with such an excellent enterprise and hope that Mifang Capital can bring more resources and business opportunities to the company.

China Life Equity Investment Co., Ltd. was established in June 2016 as a specialized private equity investment platform under China Life Insurance Company. Adhering to the investment philosophy of “investing in the future, innovation, and value,” the company leverages the professional advantages of insurance capital and China Life’s sense of corporate responsibility to serve national strategies, support the real economy, and demonstrate China Life’s commitment. The China Life Great Health Fund, initiated and established by China Life Equity in 2016, is a leading flagship healthcare industry investment fund in China and the first private equity investment fund funded by insurance capital to be approved following the issuance of relevant policies by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC).

Legend Capital is an independent professional venture capital firm under Legend Holdings, established in April 2001. Its core business focuses on early-stage venture capital and growth-stage expansion investments. Currently, the total assets under management (AUM) of Legend Capital’s USD and RMB funds exceed RMB 50 billion. Since initiating its healthcare investment strategy in 2007, Legend Capital has invested in over 100 projects in the healthcare sector, with a portfolio spanning multiple sub-sectors including biopharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics, professional services, gene technology, and digital health. Legend Capital has made systematic investments in the CRO/CDMO sector, backing companies such as WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, Pharmaron, Bellen Bioscience (Liuhe Ningyuan), Nuoxige, Saifu Pharmaceutical, DiMai Biotech, Xihua Testing, and Duchen Pharma.

Med-Fine Capital is a professional investment fund in China specializing in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life sciences sectors. The fund’s management team possesses deep industry expertise in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, along with extensive venture capital experience. To date, the fund has invested in approximately forty emerging companies, including TianGuangShi, Hanyu Medical, Zhanrong Pharmaceutical, Qiuzhen Medicine, Lingke Pharmaceutical, Ansong Technology, Jiajian Medicine, Weimicro Biology, and Saifu Pharmaceutical. Adhering to the philosophy of “focusing on pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and life sciences, leveraging capital value, and rewarding trust,” Med-Fine Capital is committed to becoming an open, platform-based professional pharmaceutical investment fund with outstanding international competitiveness and far-reaching reputation.