On the morning of November 1, 2018, a delegation of four visited Guangzhou DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. The delegation included Mr. Perry Quan, Director of International Cooperation at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Mr. Ning Wei, Industrial Technology Advisor at NRC, Ms. Li Jing, Commercial Officer at the Consulate General of Canada in Guangzhou, and Ms. Bi Xiaoyan. Director Perry Quan and Mr. Ning Wei, following their participation in the China-Canada Science and Technology Cooperation Joint Committee meeting in Beijing, conducted an on-site inspection of the progress of the lenalidomide collaboration project between DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd and Canada's TC Scientific. This project is funded under the “Guangdong-Canada Industrial R&D Partnership Program.” The inspection took place prior to their scheduled working meeting with the International Exchange Division of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology in Guangzhou regarding the program.

The “Guangdong-Canada Industrial R&D Partnership Program” began soliciting proposals in the summer of 2016. A total of 79 matched partnerships from Guangdong Province and Canada submitted applications. After rigorous evaluation and selection by both Chinese and Canadian sides, four collaborative research projects were ultimately funded. Among them is the lenalidomide project between DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd and Canada's TC Scientific. Additionally, Mr. Wei noted that two of the approved projects were discontinued for various reasons. Our lenalidomide project is one of only two that remain actively progressing to this day.

Canadian officials first toured DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd's R&D laboratories, expressing deep admiration for the company's research capabilities—including instrumentation configuration and on-site standardized management—particularly its networked management of R&D data. Subsequently, the guests received a briefing on DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd's corporate overview and progress updates regarding the lenalidomide collaboration project. Lenalidomide is a novel drug for treating myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Under this collaboration, Canada's TC Scientific is responsible for developing a new, industrially scalable, environmentally friendly, and efficient synthetic method for the lenalidomide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), while Guangzhou DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd is tasked with developing an innovative sustained-release tablet formulation of lenalidomide. DiQi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd has fully completed the pilot-scale formulation development and optimization for the lenalidomide sustained-release tablets according to the contract schedule. The company has established the drug's quality standards and conducted preliminary animal studies, which have demonstrated the product's bioequivalence to the original research product. The project is currently in its final stages, preparing for the project appraisal and acceptance.

The guests listened to the DiQi team's opinions and suggestions regarding bilateral cooperation. They expressed great satisfaction with the team's scientific research capabilities and project achievements, and pledged to actively promote further scientific collaboration between the two countries while outlining the next phase of funding plans.