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4.B.7 Intellectual Property

We currently place significant reliance on exclusivity under administrative protection periods to provide us with a competitive advantage. TPIAO for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia enjoys exclusivity under an administrative protection period till May 2010. See “4.B.11 Regulations” for general discussions on the intellectual property regulations in Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

We expect that we will, in the future, rely on patents to protect our proprietary technology. While we currently expect to seek patent protection only in China, we may opportunistically seek patents to protect our innovations in other jurisdictions in the future. In China, patents relating to pharmaceutical inventions are effective for 20 years from the date the patent application is filed.

We currently own five issued PRC patents relating to:

We have also filed two pending PRC patent applications relating to manufacturing of interleukin analogues and a novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein analogue. We do not own any foreign patents and have not filed any patent applications outside of the PRC. In addition, we own 11 registered trademarks relating to EPIAO, TPIAO, Intefen and Inleusin.

We are aware of intellectual property rights held by third parties that relate to products or technologies we are developing. For example, we are aware of a patent held by a third party that may relate to our TPIAO product. We believe, as to each claim in this patent, that we either do not infringe the claim of the patent or that the claim is invalid. While the validity of issued patents, patentability of pending patent applications and applicability of any of them to our programs are uncertain, if asserted against us, any related patent rights could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products.

We also rely on trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain a competitive position in our product areas. We generally require our employees, consultants and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except under specific circumstances. In the case of our employees, the agreements provide that all of the technology which is conceived by the individual during the course of employment is our exclusive property. The development of our technology and many of our processes are dependent upon the knowledge, experience and skills of key scientific and technical personnel. Further, as a matter of company policy, all scientific and technical employees have entered into agreements that generally require disclosure and assignment to us of ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions made by them. However, these agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide meaningful protection for our confidential information if there is unauthorized use or disclosure.

The research, development and commercialization of a biopharmaceutical often involve alternative development and optimization routes, which are presented at various stages in the development process. The preferred routes cannot be predicted at the outset of a research and development program because they will depend upon subsequent discoveries and test results. There are numerous third-party patents in our field, and it is possible that to pursue the preferred

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development route of one or more of our products we will need to obtain a license to a patent, which would decrease the ultimate profitability of the applicable product. If we cannot negotiate a license, we might have to pursue a less desirable development route or terminate the program altogether. PRC patent and trademark laws are discussed in greater detail in “4.B.11—Patent and trademark protection.”

We cannot assure you that any of our intellectual properties will be able to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantages. Despite any measures we take to protect our intellectual property, no assurance can be made that unauthorized parties will not attempt to copy aspects of our products, manufacturing processes or our proprietary technology or to otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. The protection of intellectual property rights and proprietary information in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. For example, implementation and enforcement of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been deficient and ineffective and may be hampered by corruption and local protectionism. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we might need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. The experience and capabilities of PRC courts in handling intellectual property litigation varies, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditure of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To date, we have not been involved in any significant intellectual property disputes or encountered major difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property rights in China.

Intellectual Property

We expect that we will, in the future, rely on patents to protect our proprietary technology. While we currently expect to seek patent protection only in China, we may opportunistically seek patents to protect our innovations in other jurisdictions in the future. In China, patents relating to pharmaceutical inventions are effective for 20 years from the date the patent application is filed.

We currently own five issued PRC patents relating to:

We have also filed two pending PRC patent applications relating to manufacturing of interleukin analogues and a novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein analogue. We do not own any foreign patents and have not filed any patent applications outside of the PRC. In addition, we own 11 registered trademarks relating to EPIAO, TPIAO, Intefen and Inleusin.

We are aware of intellectual property rights held by third parties that relate to products or technologies we are developing. For example, we are aware of a patent held by a third party that may relate to our TPIAO product. We believe, as to each claim in this patent, that we either do not infringe the claim of the patent or that the claim is invalid. While the validity of issued patents, patentability of pending patent applications and applicability of any of them to our programs are uncertain, if asserted against us, any related patent rights could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products.

We also rely on trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain a competitive position in our product areas. We generally require our employees, consultants and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except under specific circumstances. In the case of our employees, the agreements provide that all of the technology which is conceived by the individual during the course of employment is our exclusive property. The development of our technology and many of our processes are dependent upon the knowledge, experience and skills of key scientific and technical personnel. Further, as a matter of company policy, all scientific and technical employees have entered into agreements that generally require disclosure and assignment to us of ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions made by them. However, these agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide meaningful protection for our confidential information if there is unauthorized use or disclosure.

The research, development and commercialization of a biopharmaceutical often involve alternative development and optimization routes, which are presented at various stages in the development process. The preferred routes cannot be predicted at the outset of a research and development program because they will depend upon subsequent discoveries and test results. There are numerous third-party patents in our field, and it is possible that to pursue the preferred development route of one or more of our products we will need to obtain a license to a patent, which would decrease the ultimate profitability of the applicable product. If we cannot negotiate a license, we might have to pursue a less desirable development route or terminate the program altogether. PRC patent and trademark laws are discussed in greater detail in “—Regulations—Patent and trademark protection.”

We cannot assure you that any of our intellectual properties will be able to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantages. Despite any measures we take to protect our intellectual property, no

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assurance can be made that unauthorized parties will not attempt to copy aspects of our products, manufacturing processes or our proprietary technology or to otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. The protection of intellectual property rights and proprietary information in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. For example, implementation and enforcement of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been deficient and ineffective and may be hampered by corruption and local protectionism. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we might need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. The experience and capabilities of PRC courts in handling intellectual property litigation varies, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditure of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To date, we have not been involved in any significant intellectual property disputes or encountered major difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property rights in China.

Intellectual Property

We expect that we will, in the future, rely on patents to protect our proprietary technology. While we currently expect to seek patent protection only in China, we may opportunistically seek patents to protect our innovations in other jurisdictions in the future. In China, patents relating to pharmaceutical inventions are effective for 20 years from the initial date the patent application was filed.

46

Table of Contents

We currently own five issued PRC patents relating to:

We have also filed two pending PRC patent applications relating to a method for producing recombinant Interferon-alpha and manufacturing of interleukin analogues. We do not own any foreign patents or patent applications. In addition, we own 11 registered trademarks relating to EPIAO, TPIAO, Intefen and Inleusin.

We are aware of intellectual property rights held by third parties that relate to products or technologies we are developing. For example, we are aware of a patent held by a third party that may relate to our TPIAO product. We believe, as to each claim in this patent, that we either do not infringe the claim of the patent or that the claim is invalid. While the validity of issued patents, patentability of pending patent applications and applicability of any of them to our programs are uncertain, if asserted against us, any related patent rights could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products.

We also rely on trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain a competitive position in our product areas. We generally require our employees, consultants and advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except under specific circumstances. In the case of our employees, the agreements provide that all of the technology which is conceived by the individual during the course of employment is our exclusive property. The development of our technology and many of our processes are dependent upon the knowledge, experience and skills of key scientific and technical personnel. Further, as a matter of company policy, all scientific and technical employees have entered into agreements that generally require disclosure and assignment to us of ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions made by them. However, these agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information or provide meaningful protection for our confidential information if there is unauthorized use or disclosure.

The research, development and commercialization of a biopharmaceutical often involve alternative development and optimization routes, which are presented at various stages in the development process. The preferred routes cannot be predicted at the outset of a research and development program because they will depend upon subsequent discoveries and test results. There are numerous third-party patents in our field, and it is possible that to pursue the preferred development route of one or more of our products we will need to obtain a license to a patent, which would decrease the ultimate profitability of the applicable product. If we cannot negotiate a license, we might have to pursue a less desirable development route or terminate the program altogether. PRC patent and trademark laws are discussed in greater detail in “—Regulations—Patent and trademark protection.”

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We cannot assure you that any of our intellectual properties will be able to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantages. Despite any measures we take to protect our intellectual property, no assurance can be made that unauthorized parties will not attempt to copy aspects of our products, manufacturing processes or our proprietary technology or to otherwise obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. The protection of intellectual property rights and proprietary information in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. For example, implementation and enforcement of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been deficient and ineffective and may be hampered by corruption and local protectionism. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we might need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. The experience and capabilities of PRC courts in handling intellectual property litigation varies, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditure of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To date we have not been involved in any significant intellectual property disputes, or encountered major difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property rights in China.