Product, service and technology debuts galore

The fourth China International Import Expo in Shanghai has proven to be a premier platform for companies around the world to showcase their latest cutting-edge products and services.

A plethora of exhibits are making their global or regional debuts at the annual event this year.

At the new product release area, more than 60 exhibitors will launch over 100 new products and innovative technologies. More than half of these products are being shown to the world for the first time.

One of the most high-profile exhibits is from Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis－a first-in-class hyperlipemia therapy called Inclisiran that lowers cholesterol levels. Patients only need two doses of Inclisiran a year.

Johan Kahlstroem, head of the cardiovascular, renal and metabolism business unit at Novartis Pharma (China), said the therapy will improve medication compliance as many patients in China have trouble maintaining their treatments due to the need to travel long distances to see best doctors at big cities.

"This is the unique value proposition of Inclisiran in China," Kahlstroem said. "Inclisiran was approved in Europe late last year, and the priority for it in China is fairly high as the unmet medical need of cardiovascular disease patients is tremendous. We want to bring it to the China market as early as possible."

Another notable global debut among healthcare exhibits is the PET/CT scanner Biograph Vision Quadra by Siemens Healthineers. The device is capable of performing whole-body dynamic scanning within 15 seconds. Its super wide field of view and ultra-high sensitivity also ensures that no cancer cells go undetected.

The company said the reduced scanning time not only means higher throughput of PET-CT machines at healthcare providers, but also caters to the needs of more patients, such as the young and elderly.

In addition, the device can expand the boundaries of medical research, like new tracer research and pharmacokinetics research, thus contributing to the development of new therapies and achieving better patient outcomes.

"Owing to novel approaches to diagnostics and treatment, we're in the middle of a global transformation of healthcare, and China is the main global center of this transformation," said Bernd Montag, Siemens Healthineers CEO.

Over at the booth of GlaxoSmith-Kline, Benlysta, the world's first biological agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of lupus nephritis, is among the major exhibits by the British pharmaceutical giant.

Benlysta is particularly relevant to the Chinese market as the recurrence rate of lupus nephritis is as high 40 percent in China.

In 2019, the innovative therapy was approved in China for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Within a month after it was exhibited at last year's CIIE, the therapy received approval for child indication in China.

At the CIIE's consumer goods exhibition area, Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido has launched a new ingestible beauty brand specially designed for Asian skin for the first time in the world.

The company also launched a new beauty technology that provides an innovative solution to puffy eye bags. Visitors to the Shiseido booth can also browse the key products from 13 imported brands owned by it.

At the automobile exhibition zone, French auto supplier Faurecia has for the first time brought its Intelligent and Immersive Cockpit of the Future demo to the CIIE with the aim of showcasing a safer, more comfortable and more personalized drive experience.

Faurecia is also exhibiting its fuel cell electric vehicles and PHEV Line which provide environmentally responsible mobility solutions.