Joining Hands for Practical Progress: Sinopharm Holding and Novartis Co-Build a 'Value Retail, Health Hub' Ecosystem

(Source: Sinopharm Group Co.,Ltd.)

Recently, the retail division of Sinopharm Group and Novartis China held a strategic cooperation meeting and the launch ceremony of the "Value Retail Health Station" ecosystem co-construction at the Novartis Shanghai campus. Building on the multi-dimensional cooperation planned for 2025, both parties, in light of the current market environment characterized by the accelerating transformation of retail pharmacies and the restructuring of industry competition dynamics, are focusing on reshaping service models around patient needs as the core. This collaboration is being extended from headquarters' strategic level to regional coordination and frontline implementation.

At the launch ceremony, Wu Yijian, Vice President of Sinopharm Group, and Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China National Drugstore Co., Ltd., together with Chen Hui, Vice President of Novartis China, jointly inaugurated the "Health Station." Notably, outstanding pharmacist representatives from China National Drugstore and Sinopharm SPS+ Specialty Pharmacy were also invited to attend, indicating that the professional competence of frontline pharmacists has become a crucial component in value-based retail.

Chen Hui stated that, against the backdrop of the accelerating evolution of the innovative drug off-hospital market and retail pharmacies speeding up their transformation into "health stations," "value retail" provides a clear path for industry-retail collaboration. It is expected that both parties will further deepen cooperation in areas such as off-hospital services for innovative drugs and patient health management based on this foundation, continuously advancing and solidifying the practice of "value retail."

Wu Yijian further pointed out that the core of industrial-retail collaboration is not about working in isolation, but forming a higher level of value co-creation centered around patients' health needs. In response to new trends, pharmaceutical companies, retail terminals, and other stakeholders in the industry chain need to leverage their respective strengths under a common goal. Looking ahead, it is expected that the collaborative model of "famous stores, renowned products, and well-known manufacturers" will continue to deepen in more scenarios, further unlocking the comprehensive value of the out-of-hospital market and health service ecosystem.

At this event, Novartis' regional business teams and over 50 branch companies from the two major systems of Sinopharm Holding SPS+ Specialty Pharmacy and Guoda Pharmacy participated fully online. This enabled both parties to achieve a deep "two-way collaboration" at the levels of system synergy, regional resonance, and end-point implementation. From the professional growth of SPS+ Specialty Pharmacy to the systematic reshaping of Guoda Pharmacy, and further to the ecological co-construction of "Value Retail Health Station," both sides are jointly building a replicable, implementable, and scalable value retail practice framework. In the context of evolving industry policies and market competition, this innovative framework is expected to provide a more referential and developmentally certain industry model for the transformation and upgrading of China's pharmaceutical retail sector.