Introduction

To accelerate the changes of innovation and promote the innovative achievements, China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association (PhIRDA) founded the Selection Activities of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Brand in 2015, which was highly appraised in pharmaceutical industry for its unique evaluation criteria of clinical and social values. In 2018, it was renamed “Dushu Lake Prize” Selection of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Brand (herein after referred to as the Selection Activities), and started to take a giant leap forward international level.

We significantly reformed the Selection Activity in the organization, standard and procedure by drawing experience from international science prizes: a peer review mechanism combining expert recommendation and project grading with secret ballot was adopted. Any profit-oriented evaluation would be avoided under the principle of justice, transparency, in order to select innovative drugs with the most clinic values, innovative researches with the most innovative capability, innovative figures in drug R&D (in China and international areas), and the best investment institution focusing on pharmaceutical innovation. The final awards and winners have been highly accepted and appraised in pharmaceutical industry, and the Selection Activity has built itself as the most well-established innovative brand selection in pharmaceutical industry.

Here are some sidelights of the review meeting and award ceremony of the Selection Activities on and off the stage.

Authoritative Expert Recommendation/Review Committee

The Organizing Committee made a reform on the rules of Selection Activities, which was highly recognized and supported by the authoritative experts in pharmaceutical industry. We established an Expert Recommendation and Review Committee, consisting of academician Sang Guowei as the honorary chairman, academician Chen Kaixian as the chairman, 51 domestic and foreign academicians covering innovative drug R&D and clinical research, and experts conducting pharmaceutical and clinical research. Academicians of Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Chairman and Vice-Chairman from Specialty Committees of Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Chinese Pharmacists Association and Chinese Hospital Association were qualified to recommend projects as candidates to the Selection Activities.

The Expert Recommendation and Review Committee made recommendation, review and decision by a professional, objective and rigous standard, which guaranteed not only the quality of projects, but also the authority and fairness of the selection.

The First Working Meeting of Expert Recommendation/Review Committee on April 3, 2018

Academician Chen Kaixian presented the certificate of Honorary Chairman to academician Sang Guowei

The review meeting with high and strict standard

On October 10, 2018, the review meeting was held in Beijing, recommendation experts introduced the project, and review experts graded on-site.

Recommendation experts introduced the project

The review committee graded projects according to over ten objective evaluation criteria, including creativity, clinical and social values, international influence. The final result was the average score after minus the highest and lowest one, and the nominees of different awards were announced on the spot.

Authoritative experts were reviewing the projects seriously

Take back scoring sheet / calculate scores on the spot

The final review meeting 

The final review meeting was held two hours before the award ceremony. The review experts voted by secret ballot and the final results were confidential including to the experts and will be released in the award ceremony in the evening.

Executive President Song Ruilin introduced the selection rules

Experts were filling ballots seriously

Staff were collecting, counting ballots, and final result was sealed

The most approachable experts

On the review meeting, some projects needed to be voted in the second round, and only half an hour left before the award ceremony. Review experts ate fast food in the meeting room without any complaint, demonstrating their down-to-earth attitudes, scientific spirits and admirable personalities.

Review experts at the award ceremony

Grand and splendid award ceremony

On the evening of September 17, 2018, the award ceremony of Selection Activity was held at Suzhou Culture & Arts Centre.

Full view of the award ceremony

Bright and colorful stage

In the award ceremony, over 700 guests and audiences witnessed the final prize winners of 2018 “Dushu Lake Prize” Selection Activities of China Pharmaceutical Innovation Brand, which caught the eyes of entire pharmaceutical industry. They also felt the authority, fairness, openness and justice of the Selection Activity, as well as the flourishing growth the innovative pharmaceutical industry in China.

Hosts leadership and prize winners

Experts at the award ceremony

Under the great support from review experts, hosts and Suzhou TV Station, we successfully hosted the Selection Activity. Some foreign experts travelled thousands of miles from the United States to participate in the review meeting. Besides, we could not succeed in hosting the Selection Activity without the 10-month toil from staff of the Selection Activity Office. For the perfect details of every procedure, it even become their routines to work overtime until late night. No matter how hard the work was or how regretful they felt for some little mistakes they made, all become the joy and satisfaction at the moment the Selection Activity was successfully held. We would like to appreciate every expert and staff who made contribution to the Selection Activity, which was of great support to pharmaceutical innovation in China. We strongly believe that, under the support from experts and friends from all walks of life, the Selection Activity will be hosted better and better, becoming the most influential selection activity of pharmaceutical innovation in China, Asia and all around the world.