Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products
Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (LIBP) is a state-owned Chinese biological-products company established in 1934. In the botulinum toxin industry, the institute is the historical origin of the China-developed botulinum toxin type A product now most clearly identified in China as Hengli. Sinopharm’s company profile places LIBP within its biological-products network and describes research, production, and sales as part of the institute’s role. (Sinopharm: Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products 🔗)
The historical institute name is not the complete current product identity. A 2023 Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing identifies Lanzhou Biotechnique Development Co., Ltd. as the company behind the Hengli product launched in China, while the current Brazilian Prosigne label names that company as manufacturer and Cristália as registration holder and importer. “Lanzhou Institute,” “Lanzhou Biotechnique,” and a regional brand name therefore should not be treated as interchangeable corporate or regulatory terms. (Fosun Pharma filing, July 2023 🔗; Cristália: Prosigne patient information 🔗)
Quick Answers
Section titled “Quick Answers”| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What is LIBP? | Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd., a state-owned biological-products company in Lanzhou, China. |
| Why is LIBP important to botulinum toxin history? | Work at the institute produced a China-developed botulinum toxin type A product that received Chinese approval in the 1990s and later appeared under several regional names. |
| What is the main China-market brand? | Hengli is the China-market trade name documented in current and recent sources. |
| Who is named as the current manufacturer? | Lanzhou Biotechnique Development Co., Ltd. is named on Hengli records and in the 2026 Brazilian Prosigne label. |
| Are Hengli, Prosigne, Lantox, and BTXA universal synonyms? | No. Hengli, Prosigne, and Lantox are market-facing names found in different jurisdictions or source periods; BTX-A is also widely used as a class abbreviation for botulinum toxin type A. |
Reference Card
Section titled “Reference Card”| Field | Reference point |
|---|---|
| Formal company name | Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. |
| Common abbreviation | LIBP |
| Established | 1934 |
| Base | Lanzhou, Gansu, China |
| Ownership context | State-owned; presented by Sinopharm within its biological-products network |
| Historical toxin role | Origin and early development context for the China-developed type A product |
| Current product company | Lanzhou Biotechnique Development Co., Ltd. |
| China-market brand | Hengli |
| Documented regional names | Prosigne in Brazil; Lantox and other names in historical international literature |
Institute, Manufacturer, And Market Roles
Section titled “Institute, Manufacturer, And Market Roles”The Lanzhou name appears at several levels. Keeping those levels separate prevents an older scientific citation from being mistaken for a current regulatory record.
| Layer | Entity or name | What the source establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Historical institution | Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products | Development began at the institute in the 1980s; the resulting type A product was approved in China in the 1990s. (Dressler et al., 2021 🔗) |
| Current company context | Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. | Sinopharm describes the company as a state-owned biological-products research, production, and sales enterprise established in 1934. (Sinopharm 🔗) |
| China product company | Lanzhou Biotechnique Development Co., Ltd. | A 2023 regulated company filing lists Hengli among the type A products launched in China and attributes it to this company. (Fosun Pharma filing 🔗) |
| Brazil manufacturer | Lanzhou Biotechnique Development Co., Ltd. | The Prosigne label approved May 12, 2026 names it as producer at 888 Yanchang Road, Lanzhou. (Cristália: Prosigne patient information 🔗) |
| Brazil registration holder and importer | Cristália Produtos Químicos Farmacêuticos Ltda. | The same Brazilian label assigns registration and importation to Cristália rather than to the Lanzhou manufacturer. |
This role map does not establish that the institute company and Lanzhou Biotechnique are the same legal entity. It shows why both names occur in the same product history and why a source’s date and jurisdiction matter.
Development And Approval History
Section titled “Development And Approval History”Peer-reviewed historical work traces development of the Lanzhou toxin to 1985 and records a Chinese Ministry of Health approval in 1993. A later license record discussed in the same review dates to 1997 and covers strabismus, blepharospasm, and hemifacial spasm; the review reports a 2012 extension to moderate-to-severe glabellar lines. These dates describe the Chinese regulatory history reported by the review, not a global label. (Dressler et al., 2021 🔗)
The product remains visible in contemporary Chinese sources as Hengli. A July 2023 Fosun Pharma filing listed Hengli from Lanzhou Biotechnique Development among the type A products already launched in mainland China. The filing provides a dated market-status reference, not a substitute for the full Chinese label or a claim that every historical indication remains current. (Fosun Pharma filing 🔗)
Hengli, Prosigne, Lantox, And BTX-A
Section titled “Hengli, Prosigne, Lantox, And BTX-A”| Name | Best-supported use | Interpretation limit |
|---|---|---|
| Hengli | China-market trade name | Chinese approval and labeling do not establish the same indications, presentation, or registration holder in another country. |
| Prosigne | Current Brazilian trade name | The 2026 Brazilian label identifies a 50 U and 100 U lyophilized type A product, Lanzhou Biotechnique as producer, and Cristália as registration holder and importer. Those facts are specific to Brazil. |
| Lantox | Name used in international literature and historical market accounts | Literature usage does not prove that Lantox is a currently registered brand in every country where an older source mentions it. |
| BTX-A / BTXA | General abbreviation and, in some older regional materials, a product-facing identifier | The abbreviation alone does not identify the manufacturer, approval holder, country-specific label, or current commercial status. |
The 2021 literature review groups Hengli, Prosigne, Lantox, and several other names within the lanbotulinumtoxinA source trail. That grouping is useful for literature retrieval, but it is not a substitute for a current local registration or label. (Dressler et al., 2021 🔗)
Brazil provides a current example of the regional structure. The Prosigne patient information approved on May 12, 2026 describes a lyophilized botulinum toxin type A product in 50 U and 100 U vials. It lists gelatin, dextran 20, and sucrose as excipients and identifies Lanzhou Biotechnique as producer and Cristália as registration holder and importer. These presentation and formulation facts should not be projected onto Hengli or another regional label without the corresponding local document. (Cristália: Prosigne patient information 🔗)
Regulatory And Comparison Limits
Section titled “Regulatory And Comparison Limits”- A shared Lanzhou origin does not create one worldwide label for Hengli, Prosigne, Lantox, or any other regional name.
- A historical institute attribution does not by itself identify the current manufacturer, approval holder, importer, or distributor.
- Approval in China or Brazil does not establish approval in the United States, European Union, or another jurisdiction.
- Vial units are defined by the product’s own preparation and assay. Matching unit numbers do not establish interchangeability or a dose-conversion rule.
- A literature comparison cannot be generalized beyond its product, population, indication, dose method, and study design.
- Company history and market longevity do not establish greater efficacy, safety, strength, duration, or purity than another toxin product.