As a milestone in the development of anti-tumor drugs, Bristol Myers Squibb was the first company to market paclitaxel in the United States. A team led by Professor Fang Qicheng and Professor Han Rui from the IMM, CAMS successfully developed a paclitaxel injection called “Zisu” with Chinese yew. And BUPF took the lead in producing this generic injection. In 1995, Paclitaxel obtained the new drug certificate (formerly the Class 4 Western medicine) by the Ministry of Health of the PRC and won the National New Product and the first prize of Ministry of Health Science and Technology Progress Award in 1996, as well as the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1997. It has been evaluated for consistency in quality and efficacy of generic drugs.

Paclitaxel was included in Class B of the National Basic Medical Insurance and Work Injury Insurance Drug Catalog in 2004, and has been a Class A variety in the medical insurance catalog since the 2017 edition. Paclitaxel was included in the National Essential Medicines Catalog in 2012 and 2018. Paclitaxel has been recommended in the relevant diagnosis and treatment guidelines and clinical path issued by the National Health Commission, the Chinese Medical Association, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology and other organizations for lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, bladder cancer.