After graduating from Shanghai Medical University - now Fudan University medical school - Xiang went on to complete his PhD at Harvard University in Boston.

In his 22 years of studying and working abroad, Xiang has successfully combined American innovation with Chinese diligence. This intermingling of cultural traits guided him in his position as chief inventor of the novel anti-asthma drug, Singulair, while working for the Merck & Co.

In the course of his career in both giant pharmaceutical firms and small innovative biotech companies, he and his colleagues have explored many areas of drug therapy, securing 17 patents to date.

In his role as chairman of the advisory board to the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA), New England, Xiang returned home to make his contribution to the motherland. From April 18-19, a SAPA delegation, consisting of outstanding scientists, attended the organization's 5th annual forum in Shanghai.

At this forum, Xiang delivered a lecture on novel drug discovery - currently a hot topic among Chinese bio-tech and biopharmaceutical entrepreneurs.

"SAPA's mission is to create a supportive environment for Sino-American pharmaceutical professionals, facilitating scientific exchanges and business development between the United States and China. In recent years, overseas Chinese scientists and Chinese-American experts have been flocking back to China to contribute to the development of their native country," Xiang said.

Like all Chinese students who have studied abroad, Xiang is impressed by the rapid progress in China's pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. With WTO accession, the industry is faced with both vast opportunities and challenges.

"Worldwide demand for breakthroughs in medicine has always been the fundamental driving force for research and development (R&D) in the field of pharmaceuticals," Xiang said.

However, quality research demands huge investments of both time and money. Statistics show that in the United States, the average time required to develop a new drug and deliver it to the market is 12 years. The typical price tag for such a process runs around US$500 million. This is a great hurdle for most Chinese companies to overcome.

In Xiang's opinion, Chinese companies must plan to invest in R&D if they want to become players on the world stage and remain competitive in domestic markets, but in the meantime, there are alternative approaches.

A less costly practice is the development of "me-too" drugs - a drug that is structurally very similar to already known drugs, with only minor pharmacological differences, Xiang explained.

By carefully designing and engineering, "me-too" drugs, companies can avoid patent infringement, while obtaining their own proprietary drug.

Certainly, both the macro- and micro-environments of China must be further improved, if domestic firms are going to attract the necessary talent.

China's dramatic economic and social progress over the last 10-20 years is motivating more and more overseas Chinese students and experts to return to their country of origin.

| frontpage | nation | business | HK\Taiwan | snapshots | focus |
| governmentinfo | economic insights | campus life | Shanghai today | metropolitan |