Cutting-edge medical products debut at CIIE

The sixth China International Import Expo, which opened on Sunday, has proven to be a premier platform for medical companies around the world to showcase their latest cutting-edge products as illustrated by a slew of exhibits making their global or regional debut.

The medical product pavilion experiences high visitor traffic and is one of the most bustling areas at the expo, attracting medical experts, industry buyers and other stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem to explore new solutions to help local patients meet their medical needs.

PowerMe, a midline catheter product tailored to meet Chinese clinicians' insertion preferences and manufactured by United States-based global medical technology company BD, made its global debut.

This innovative infusion device addresses the unmet needs of the Chinese market, especially as the country faces an aging population, by providing a catheter that can be inserted for up to 30 days. It can also improve clinicians' work efficiency and reduce patient complications.

"With the continuously optimized business environment, the landing of global medical innovations in China has become an inevitable trend," said James Deng, global senior vice-president of BD and general manager of BD Greater China.

"As president of the medical equipment committee of the CIIE, BD has led the efforts in setting up the Innovation Incubation Special Section (Medical Equipment) of the CIIE since 2021, bringing together governments, investors and industry players to help global medical technology innovators take root in China and contribute to the Healthy China 2030 initiative," Deng said.

At the booth of Sanofi, innovative biological agent Dupixent made its global debut for the indication of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The company said it is the first and only biological agent that can significantly reduce the incidence of moderate to severe acute exacerbation.

The biological agent was also showcased for its asthma indication for the first time in China. The therapy can significantly reduce the rate of acute attacks and improve lung function and asthma control rapidly and durably. The company said it is a treatment option that targets the cause of the disease for patients with poor asthma control.

Roche announced on Monday at its CIIE booth the start of its ophthalmology business in China and is showcasing an innovative treatment for fundus diseases at the expo.

The company said the medicine is hailed as the first treatment option with a novel mechanism of action in the field of ophthalmology over the past two decades, helping patients to achieve sustained vision improvement and disease control.

So far, the medicine has been approved for marketing in more than 70 countries and regions, and more than 2 million injections have been given to patients. With the spillover effect of the CIIE, Roche said the innovative drug is expected to accelerate its entry into the China market and benefit more than 40 million fundus patients in the country.

Takeda unveiled its robust portfolio of eight innovative products for rare blood diseases. Notably, maribavir, a groundbreaking treatment for refractory cytomegalovirus infections in adults after undergoing organ or hemopoietic cell transplant, is expected to receive approval in China this year.

Takeda's booth also features five innovative products for hemophilia, including a gene therapy that provides diverse treatment options for patients with various types of hemophilia and distinct treatment requirements.

Liu Yan, head of the hemophilia and rare disease business branch at Takeda China, said, "In China, we're acutely attuned to the unmet needs of hemophilia patients and anticipate expediting the introduction of innovative treatments for Chinese patients through the CIIE."