Hong Kong, 10 January 2019
 
Essex Bio-Technology Limited (“EssexBio” or the “Group”—Stock Code: 1061) is pleased to announce that Zhuhai Essex Bio-Pharmaceutical Company Limited, an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, was honoured with the second prize of National Scientific and Technology Progress Award, in the 2018 National Science and Technology Award Conference, in relation to the project of Key Technical Breakthrough, Theory Innovation, and Industrialisation for Protein Drugs of Cellular Growth Factor in China.
 
The National Science and Technology Award was established by the State Council and would be appraised once a year. According to the newly released Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Science and Technology Award System, it is stipulated that the total number of awards awarded by the Three National Awards shall not exceed 300 per year. The National Science and Technology Award includes the National Natural Science Award, the National Science and Technology Invention Award and the National Science and Technology Progress Award, which are commonly referred to as the Three National Awards. The 2018 National Science and Technology Award Conference was held in Beijing on January 8, 2019. In the Conference 278 projects and 7 experts were appraised and elected, among which 32 awards were given to the Medicine and Healthcare projects including one first prize and 20 second prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.
 
The awarded project of EssexBio was jointly researched and developed by Zhuhai Essex Bio-Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Wenzhou Medical University, Anhui Anke Biotechnology (Group) Co.,Ltd., and Guangzhou Jinan University Biopharmaceutical R&D Centre. Based on highly underserved clinical needs, the project created a pattern of drug development and clinical translation in a strategic alliance of “University-Enterprise-Hospital” , and provided the support on both theoretical and practical basis, to sustainable development of the recombinant protein drug in China.
 
The core technology of the project has been extensively used in the Group. In 1990, the Group established its R&D team, to start research and development of rb-bFGF (recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor). In 1996, the Group set up a factory for the production of API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and formulations. Currently the Group has five commercialized bio-pharmaceutical products, formulated with rb-bFGF, in China, out of which 3 are approved by National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”) in China as Category I drugs. The products are being marketed & sold as Beifushu, Beifuji & Beifuxin, for treatment of ocular surface wounds and topical (skin) surface wounds respectively.
 
The Group is honoured and encouraged on being conferred the prestigeous award and would like to extend its gratitude and appreciations to all stakeholders for their contributions. The Group will continue to leverage on its R&D platform of bFGF & know-how, along with other novel technologies in its quest for delivering first-in-class bio-pharmaceutical products in the field of Ophthalmology and Surgery (Surgical arena of topical surface wounds), Orthopaedics, Neurology and Oncology.