Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (shortened to HPGC or Hayao) is a Chinese partially state-owned company engaged in the research & development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products.[2][3][4] HPGC medication offerings include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and biopharmaceuticals; its main offerings include antibiotics, including amoxicillin and penicillin, and dietary supplements, including zinc gluconate and calcium gluconate.[5]
The company owns both Renmintongtai (人民同泰), a drugstore chain and medical wholesaler for the domestic market, and GNC, a U.S.-based international retailer of supplements and wellness products.
In 2007, HPGC obtained approximately 73% and 14% of its total revenue from the sale of Western medicines and TCM preparations, respectively.[citation needed]
In February 2018, HPGC announced its intentions to purchase a 40% stake in GNC Holdings, Inc. for US$300 million, following GNC's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In September 2020, it wholly acquired the company for US$770 million.[6][7]
HPGC manufactures and distributes products for GNC China (known as 健安喜; Jiàn'ānxǐ) under a joint venture, GNC (Shanghai) Food Technology Co., Ltd, formed in February 2019.[8]
In February 2022, HPGC was stripped of its National Enterprise Technology Center status, a state designation for enterprises identified as capable of extraordinary technology innovation, by the National Development and Reform Commission after failing to meet the previous year's qualification requirements.[9]