The Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals (ICAMA) of the Ministry of Agriculture announced the list of the third batch of products to be approved for registration in 2016, of which the benzobicyclon technical and formulation from SDS Biotech will be registered in China for the first time.

Benzobicyclon, code name SB-500, SAN 1315H,  CAS No. 156963-66-5, is a HPPD herbicide developed by SDS Biotech.

Benzobicyclon was synthetized by SDS Biotech in 1992 and subject to field test in 1994. In early 1998, the exploration of the herbicide was finished. In 2001 it was registered in Japan and put on the Japanese market with the trade name ShowAce, to be used in direct seeding and transplanting rice paddies. In the same year, Focus Shot, a macro granule compound product of benzobicyclon and pentoxazone developed by SDS Biotech and Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for use in rice, was registered and launched in Japan. Then SDS Biotech and Sankyo Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. jointly developed Kusa Kont (benzobicyclon+pretilachlor) to prevent and destroy sulfonylurea-resistant weeds. It was registered in Japan for use in rice. Sankyo Pharmaceuticals has the exclusive rights to sell the product. In that year Smart (benzobicyclon+benzofenap+fentrazamide), a one-time weeding compound herbicide used in rice paddies, was also registered in Japan and Kumiai Chemical Industry and Japan Bayer obtained the rights to sell the product. In 2006, benzobicyclon was launched in the Republic of Korea. In the U.S. market, benzobicyclon is being developed by Gowan.

Between 2007 and 2010, the annual global sales of benzobicyclon was all less than US$30 million and in 2014 it was less than US$10 million. Between 2004 and 2009, its compound annual growth rate was 14.9% and between 2009 and 2014 it was -19.7%.

The U.S. patent of benzobicyclon (US5525580) expired on January 14, 2014; its Australian patent (AU672058) expired on December 29, 2013; its Japanese patent (JPH0625144) expired on March 17, 2013 and its Chinese patent (CN1041916C) expired on January 7, 2014.