Ingrid Zhang, President and Managing Director of Novartis China: Advancing Innovative Medicines and Expanding Access to High-Quality Healthcare Resources

Zhang Ying, Vice Chair of the RDPAC Executive Committee, President and Managing Director of Novartis China

In the pharmaceuticals and healthcare field, the pace of innovation has never stopped, and is constantly accelerating. Increasingly advanced and better therapies offer more choices and hope for a healthy life. At the same time, ensuring that innovative drugs reach those in need and address unmet medical needs is essential to fulfilling the mission of these innovations. Recently, Vivian Zhang, President and Managing Director of Novartis China, was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency. She discussed in detail how to continuously advance the research, development, market entry, and accessibility of innovative drugs in China to benefit more patients and contribute to the construction of Healthy China.

Xinhua News Agency:In response to China's current initiatives in the health sector, such as deepening the reform of the pharmaceutical and healthcare system, expanding and reallocating medical resources, addressing population aging, and promoting innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry, what are the perspectives and corresponding practices of Novartis, as an innovative pharmaceutical company?

Zhang Ying:As an innovative pharmaceutical company, Novartis focuses on promoting innovation and extensive coverage as our strategic priorities. We are continuously accelerating our efforts to "reach grassroots levels" and further extend our products and services. In terms of drug supply, we are working with e-commerce and retail partners to address the "last mile," ensuring that more and better medicines benefit a wider patient population. At the same time, we are actively enhancing drug accessibility through various means, including medical insurance. We are also deepening cooperation with healthcare institutions at all levels in China, aiming to bring professional diagnostic capabilities to broader grassroots markets, improve the standard of care at these levels, and deliver greater benefits to patients.

Xinhua News Agency:The biopharmaceuticals industry is a highly innovation-driven sector. What explorations and practices has Novartis undertaken in promoting the R&D and production of innovative drugs?

Zhang Ying:Novartis, known for its innovation, invests nearly 20% of its net sales in R&D each year. We are constantly accelerating the introduction of innovative drugs into China, creating new momentum to drive the development of the industry. For instance, in December last year, Novartis announced an investment of over 600 million RMB to establish a radiopharmaceutical production base in Haiyan, Zhejiang. This will be our second-largest innovative drug production base in China, dedicated to producing radioligand therapy drugs. It will bring the latest innovations from the global field of radiopharmaceutical production to China and provide cancer patients with the most advanced treatment options.

Haiyan is committed to building a national demonstration base for the medical isotope industry in China. Novartis has accumulated highly specialized expertise in research and development, production, clinical applications, as well as interdisciplinary and cross-industry collaboration in the field of radioligand therapy development. We look forward to promoting cooperation across the entire ecosystem and supporting the further development of the local nuclear technology application industry by establishing a production base.

Xinhua News Agency:Foreign pharmaceutical companies are participants in promoting the construction of China's health system. What positive impact initiatives has Novartis taken to address key challenges in China’s healthcare? How will these practices contribute to the advancement of Healthy China?

Zhang Ying:As a global leading innovative pharmaceutical company, Novartis is fully committed to advancing the Healthy China initiative, particularly in areas such as the introduction of innovative drugs, enhancing disease diagnosis, treatment and management standards, and promoting the accessibility of high-quality medical resources.

To address the expansion and下沉 of high-quality medical resources, Novartis has established a dedicated county market team to enhance the accessibility for patients in these regions. Currently, our product coverage in county markets includes major disease areas such as cardiovascular, dermatology, oncology, and ophthalmology, with a presence in approximately 1,000 county markets. Additionally, we actively collaborate with e-commerce and retail partners to promote the convenience of drug delivery.

We also support multiple projects aimed at enhancing primary healthcare capabilities, contributing to the national "Thousand Counties Project" to improve the comprehensive abilities of county hospitals. Focusing on highly prevalent cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia in these counties, we strive to build both online and offline academic platforms. Through activities like guideline roadshows and standardized diagnosis and treatment training, we promote collaboration between leading expert hospitals and county-level hospitals, improving disease treatment and management. This ultimately aims to achieve the "Thousand Counties Compliance."

Xinhua News Agency:In addressing various health challenges, the power of collaboration cannot be overlooked. Could you share some successful partnerships that Novartis China has established? How have these collaborations effectively met specific healthcare needs?

Zhang Ying:We have been actively collaborating with the pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystem in China, as well as cross-industries, across multiple dimensions.

For example, we have collaborated with multiple medical institutions and academic associations to jointly establish several standardized treatment centers in China, covering disease areas such as heart failure, eye diseases, and psoriasis.

In the past few months, we have successively announced several major collaborations with local pharmaceutical companies, including the global rights licensing for CAR-T therapy with Legend Biotech and an exclusive licensing cooperation agreement with Bowang Pharmaceutical, supporting the globalization of Chinese innovation.

We explore cross-border cooperation to bring health to a wider audience. For example, we collaborate with L'Oréal to comprehensively explore in-depth cooperation in areas such as charitable support and skin science research.

Novartis has also partnered with the China Primary Health Care Foundation and the Kang Alliance Charity Foundation to launch the "Healthy China Initiative - Psoriasis Patients' Path to Clear Skin Public Welfare Campaign." This initiative employs various innovative formats, including a psoriasis-themed feature film, to advance disease awareness, patient communication, and doctor-patient interaction. The campaign has now entered its third year.

Xinhua News Agency:Looking ahead, what new initiatives or commitments will Novartis undertake to further support China's health事业? Can you share some related plans or goals?

Zhang Ying:Novartis is always committed to accelerating the introduction of innovative drugs into China and benefiting more patients as much as possible, which is our mission in China.

In 2023, Novartis received approval for 8 new drugs and indications in China, with 4 new products and indications included in the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), and successful renewals for the existing indications of 4 products already in the list. In the coming years, we will further accelerate this pace. Since 2022, the development of Novartis’ new drugs and indications in China has been 100% synchronized with global timelines. We plan to achieve over 90% synchronization for new drug and indication registrations with global timelines within the next three years.

In addition, I am also looking forward to accelerating the construction of the radiopharmaceuticals production base and its related ecosystem. We will work closely with relevant departments to lay the foundation for Novartis' radiopharmaceutical production base in Haiyan, Zhejiang, as soon as possible, with the hope that the base will commence production by the end of 2026 as planned. In addition, while conducting relevant clinical research, we will collaborate closely with societies and experts in the fields of urological oncology and nuclear medicine. Through platforms such as the "Yangtze River Delta Nuclear Medicine Technology Application Alliance," we will promote academic exchanges and industry-university-research cooperation, and drive the establishment of standards for radioligand therapy.