Worldwide, more than 7,000 rare diseases have been identified. In China, there are approximately 20 million rare disease patients, with over 200,000 new cases added each year. Due to the rarity of these diseases, patients face numerous challenges such as difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, high rates of misdiagnosis, lack of effective treatments, limited access to medications, and financial burdens associated with paying for drugs, causing significant inconvenience and economic strain on patients.
China has always attached great importance to the prevention, treatment, and guarantee work for rare diseases. In May 2018, the state released the first batch of rare disease directories, bringing more attention to rare diseases. In September 2023, the state released the second batch of rare disease directories, promoting the development of rare disease prevention and treatment in China.
As a leading new healthcare service enterprise in the industry, JD Health launched its Rare Disease Care Plan on International Rare Disease Day in 2021. The initiative deepens the "medical + pharmaceutical + service + payment" ecosystem service system to provide more practical and effective assistance to the rare disease community.
As a well-known pharmaceutical company in the global generics and biopharmaceuticals field, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, adhering to the "In China, For China" strategy, actively responded to relevant policies. In May 2020, it successfully registered deutetrabenazine, an innovative product for treating Huntington's disease (HD), through the national priority review and approval process. Later that year, the product entered the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) after national negotiations. Deutetrabenazine is the first product in China for treating Huntington’s disease (HD) and also the world's first approved deuterated innovative drug.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is another disease in the first batch of the rare disease catalog, with female patients accounting for about 70%, and female patients of childbearing age making up as high as 60%. Previously, none of the domestically approved products in China were recommended for MS patients of childbearing age. Glatiramer Acetate is the only DMT drug recommended by guidelines for use in pregnant, pre-pregnancy planning, and breastfeeding women. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries actively promoted the successful registration of Glatiramer Acetate, a DMT drug for treating MS, in June 2023, benefiting Chinese patients, filling the treatment gap for women of childbearing age, and providing a better treatment option for MS patients with higher safety requirements.
To improve the accessibility of this medication, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has partnered with JD Health. Leveraging the strong platform and supply chain advantages, they have enabled the下沉 of pharmaceutical resources from first-tier cities, breaking the limitations of time and space to meet the medication needs of more patients.
Currently, JD Health has built an integrated pharmaceutical enterprise service solution covering all channels, the entire lifecycle, and various scenarios, which can greatly enhance the accessibility of novel specialty drugs. In the future, JD Health will actively collaborate with pharmaceutical partners to jointly promote the widespread availability of innovative drugs, allowing more patients to benefit. Meanwhile, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is also actively partnering with government, industry, academia, and medical sectors to explore innovative collaboration models, optimize rare disease R&D, introduce more high-quality products to China more quickly, and contribute to improving the accessibility and affordability of rare disease medications in China.