November 23, Taizhou – The 2023 National Final for the Biopharmaceutical Track of the 12th China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition grandly opened in Taizhou today. The opening ceremony was attended by Xu Yi, head of a directly affiliated public institution of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China; Zhang Xinmin, Director of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development; Zhu Lifan, Secretary of the

CPC Taizhou Municipal Committee; and other officials from relevant departments of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development, the Taizhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Taizhou Science and Technology Bureau, and the Taizhou Medical High-tech Zone Management Committee.

Following a fierce competition, Westlake Pharma stood out from a multitude of contestants to win the "Excellent Enterprise Award." The company's project, the R&D and commercialization of the first-in-class drug, received high recognition from the on-site judging panel.

Dr. Liang Dongdong, General Manager and R&D Director of Westlake Pharma, represented the company at the competition. He presented the company's first product, the novel anti-coronavirus drug Mprosevir , to the judges, providing a detailed explanation of its mechanism of action, product features, and development journey.

Mprosevir is a non-covalent inhibitor with a novel structure that targets and binds to the coronavirus 3CL protease, thereby inhibiting viral replication. The drug has now completed its Phase III clinical trial. Westlake Pharma’s R&D team advanced this novel candidate from initial discovery to clinical development in only about three years—a pace far exceeding industry norms.

The theme of this year's China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition was "Innovation Leads, Entrepreneurship Builds Dreams." The event was guided by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and co-organized by multiple entities including the Organizing Committee Office of the China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition and the Beijing Guoke SME Science and Technology Innovation Development Foundation. This year's competition attracted applications from 5,937 biopharmaceutical companies nationwide, with 327 ultimately advancing to the national final after a rigorous selection process.

The China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition has played a positive role in channeling innovation resources to enterprises, promoting the deep integration of science, technology, and finance, and optimizing the ecosystem for technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Over its 12-year history, the competition has attracted more than 320,000 enterprises and teams.

This honor represents an endorsement from industry experts of Westlake Pharma 's current achievements and future growth potential. Inspired by this award, Westlake Pharma will remain true to its founding mission, continue to move forward, and focus on the R&D of first-in-class drugs, contributing to China's scientific and technological advancement and creating more possibilities for treating major human diseases.