2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference | Huahui Anjian "Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword"

（Source: Beijing Business Today）

During the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum annual meeting, Huahui Anjian (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Huahui Anjian”) made an appearance in the exhibition area with our country’s first anti-HDV therapeutic drug, Lebevituzumab injection (brand name: Huayunuo). The drug is the world’s first approved antibody-class drug in the field of viral hepatitis.

When Chen Bin, the CEO of Huahui Anjian, was interviewed by Beijing Business Today reporter, he said that on March 16, Jia Jidong, chief physician at the Department of Hepatology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, prescribed the world’s first Lebevituzumab injection prescription, and this new drug has already moved into clinical practice.

Huahui Anjian is located in the Zhongguancun Life Sciences Park. In recent years, the Zhongguancun Life Sciences Park has achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in the field of biomedicine. From cross-border approvals for new indications, to entry into clinical trials for promising new drugs, to the listing of medical devices and multiple qualification certifications, a number of companies, by leveraging core technological innovation, have continued to expand the application boundaries of biomedicine, providing more options for clinical treatment.

End-to-end independent innovation

What is special about Lebevituzumab injection is mainly that it is a domestically developed, original drug that achieves end-to-end independent innovation from the “target mechanism” to “drug creation.” Its primary mechanism is to specifically bind to the PreS1 region on the surface of hepatitis B/hepatitis D viruses, blocking the binding between hepatitis B/hepatitis D viruses and their receptor NTCP, thereby preventing viral infection or reinfection of liver cells.

“Lebevituzumab injection is a ‘from start to finish’ new drug developed entirely in China, with complete innovation from discovering the viral infection mechanism, the therapeutic target, to drug R&D. It differs from the drug-pathway-clear generic drugs and follow-on innovation drugs, and it is also rare in the history of pharmaceutical development in China.” Chen Bin told Beijing Business Today reporter.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, about 12 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis D virus (HDV), affecting nearly 5% of chronic HBV-infected individuals. Previously, aside from Europe, China and the United States had not approved any drugs for treating chronic HDV infection. China has more than 75 million patients with chronic hepatitis B, and until then there were no domestic treatment drugs specifically for hepatitis D. Clinical awareness has been insufficient, and the HDV testing and diagnosis rates have been low. Patients have been trapped in a predicament of “having a disease but no drug,” making clinical demand extremely urgent.

Lebevituzumab injection received conditional approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on January 20 for the treatment of adult patients with chronic HDV infection with or without compensated-stage cirrhosis. In addition, the product had previously been granted “breakthrough therapy” designation by the China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In clinical diagnosis and treatment, doctors can, on the basis of antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B, use Lebevituzumab injection in combination, effectively reducing HDV viral load and improving liver function, thereby better controlling patients’ conditions and improving prognosis.

Origin at BINS

The story of Huahui Anjian begins with the Beijing Institute of Life Sciences (hereinafter “BINS”), located in the Zhongguancun Life Sciences Park.

In Beijing and even nationwide research circles, BINS is a “holy ground” that researchers aspire to. In 2007, Li Wenhui, focusing on virology research, joined BINS and began to devote himself to studying the hepatitis B virus receptor. In 2012, Li Wenhui made the first-ever discovery of the hepatitis B virus receptor in the world. Then in 2015, with support from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, Li Wenhui, together with his wife Sui Jianhua and colleagues including Huang Song, founded Huahui Anjian, focusing on drugs in the field of liver diseases.

Since Huahui Anjian developed the prototype molecule in 2015, it subsequently initiated process development and preclinical toxicology work. In September 2018, Lebevituzumab injection received a clinical approval letter from the NMPA. It conducted clinical trials in multiple tertiary hospitals across the country, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, and the First Hospital of Jilin University, gradually verifying the drug’s safety and efficacy. In April 2023 and November 2024, it was separately approved by the drug regulators in China and the U.S. to grant “breakthrough therapy” qualification.

“A decade磨一剑.” In the 11th year since Huahui Anjian was established, Lebevituzumab injection was approved for market launch and moved into clinical practice.

The market launch of Lebevituzumab injection not only brings new options to Chinese patients, but also offers hope to patients worldwide. Huahui Anjian said that Lebevituzumab injection will provide a more effective and accessible treatment option for patients with chronic hepatitis D virus infection in China and in more Belt and Road co-building countries.

Policy support boosts implementation and transformation

In an interview with Beijing Business Today reporter, Chen Bin said that Huahui Anjian’s development cannot be separated from strong support from national ministries and commissions, Beijing, and Changping District.

It is understood that during the process of drug R&D and clinical development, Huahui Anjian received support from the Ministry of Science and Technology’s “13th Five-Year Plan” major new drug creation special program, as well as special funding and talent recruitment/support related to research projects at the Beijing and district levels.

On funding, in 2023, Zhongguancun Development Group’s Zhongguancun Capital continued to lay out investments in the innovative drug track, investing in Huahui Anjian’s Series A++ financing round, providing timely funding support for advancing the company’s ongoing clinical R&D pipeline. Chen Bin said that during special periods such as the company’s start-up phase, the state-owned venture funds of Beijing and Changping District “came through in snow,” promptly injecting R&D funds into the company to help ease funding pressure.

In addition, during the application and submission process for Lebevituzumab injection R&D, Beijing’s drug regulatory authorities proactively included it in the city-level end-to-end service system and the list of project-based management under the bureau level. They implemented full-process dynamic monitoring, proactive guidance, and precise services, efficiently advancing key steps such as the issuance of the 《Drug Manufacturing License》 and GMP compliance inspections, enabling this innovative drug to gain momentum in landing and transformation.

When asked how he views a series of policies introduced by Beijing in recent years to encourage the development of innovative drugs, Chen Bin said that companies’ sense of gain is very tangible, and it also further strengthens the company’s confidence in deepening its innovation efforts in Beijing.

“Drug review and approval have been greatly accelerated, allowing precious time to be secured for R&D. With the introduction of multiple policies at both the city and district levels, the projects companies can apply for are broader, and the funding pressure on enterprises is alleviated throughout the entire drug R&D process. Policies such as talent settlement and housing support effectively help companies retain core talent. On the clinical application side, the National Health Commission and major medical institutions provide strong support for innovative drugs. Lebevituzumab injection was approved in just two months and, at Beijing Friendship Hospital, the world’s first prescription was successfully issued, achieving rapid market launch and implementation soon after approval—truly ensuring that innovative achievements benefit patients at the earliest possible time,” Chen Bin said.

Deng Yong, director of the Health Law Governance and Innovation Transformation Center at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, noted that Beijing’s innovation drug industrial park ecosystem’s closed-loop model has taken shape. In Zhongguancun Life Sciences Park, Daxing Pharmaceutical Valley, and other industrial parks, a “laboratory—pilot scale—clinical—industrialization” transformation circle within 1 kilometer has formed, significantly shortening the time for results to be translated into practice.

In the future, the Zhongguancun Life Sciences Park where Huahui Anjian is located will continue to focus on frontier areas, strengthen coordination across the industrial chain, and help more innovative products move into clinical use and benefit patients worldwide.

Beijing Business Today reporter Ding Ning