Healthcare MNCs: Import expo vital growth driver

The world's leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies have said that the China International Import Expo, which is being held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, has helped connect them more deeply with partners and stakeholders from home and abroad.

The international exchange platform, in its seventh edition this year, has also allowed companies with state-of-the-art medical solutions to share opportunities from China's high-quality development and better realize the unmet needs of Chinese patients.

"We're grateful for the CIIE platform that helps the company transform cutting-edge research into effective vision solutions, which further reach consumers," said Kok Leong Lim, head of professional solutions at eye care company EssilorLuxottica Greater China.

Benefiting from the spillover effect of the CIIE, a slew of exhibits during previous expos have accelerated entry into China. They include Stellest?, a soft contact lens by the company that has proven to delay myopia progression in children.

After its global debut at the CIIE 2020, the group accelerated the mass production of the lens at its factory in Shanghai's Songjiang district, and successively entered major hospitals and retail optical stores across the country. The successful launch of the Stellest? lens was later replicated in markets including Singapore and several European countries.

Some other companies have also said that the CIIE has helped their exhibits attract attention from the local ecosystem, leading to accelerated clinical development and commercialization of groundbreaking therapies in the country.

United States-based biotech company Amgen said its medicines, Lumakras? and Evenity?, which debuted at the fifth and sixth CIIEs, have already benefited Chinese patients through pilot policies. The therapies treat certain types of lung cancer and osteoporosis, respectively.

"China is a vital growth driver not only for our company but for the entire biotechnology sector," said Bob Bradway, chairman of the board and CEO of Amgen.

"We believe that as China further opens up and optimizes its business environment, Amgen will have more opportunities to contribute to the development of China's healthcare industry in an even better way," said Irene Hsu, vice-president of Amgen and general manager of Amgen China.

The company has introduced seven innovative medicines in China since its entry into the market 12 years ago. Five have been included in the National Reimbursement Drug List, she added.

The company will showcase six innovative medicines at this year's CIIE. They include Tavneos?, a first-in-class medicine to treat a type of vasculitis, a rare condition, and Tepezza?, the world's first biologic agent for the treatment of thyroid eye disease.

The kidney care business at the US-headquartered Baxter will be spun off and formed as a separate company Vantive, which will be unveiled during this year's CIIE.

"We're excited to unveil our new brand Vantive at the CIIE, China's premier event for global companies to partner with government, suppliers, hospitals and patients to help address dynamic needs of today's clinicians and patients," said Chris Toth, executive vice-president and group president of kidney care business at Baxter, and future CEO of Vantive.

"As a standalone company, Vantive will deepen its commitment to elevating dialysis experience through digital solutions and advanced services while evolving our organ support therapies to go beyond kidney care," said Toth, adding that the company's therapies support hundreds of thousands of Chinese patients with end-stage kidney diseases as well as thousands of hospitals across the country.

During the CIIE, the company will debut its made-in-China Pris-Max platform, which supports continuous renal replacement therapy and helps patients and clinicians in intensive care units.