Shanghai Securities News (reported by Cao Ziyi, journalist Song Weiping) — On October 16, the opening ceremony of the 2023 Shanghai International Biomedical Industry Week (hereinafter referred to as "Industry Week") was held at the Zhangjiang Science Hall in Shanghai. During the opening ceremony, the launch event for Shanghai's innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices' international partner network was held. Representatives from AstraZeneca, Roche, Eli Lilly, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Tigermed, and IQVIA, as part of the Shanghai biomedical products' overseas partnership network, jointly announced the launch.
It is reported that this move is part of a comprehensive package of overseas assistance programs meticulously crafted by Shanghai for local innovative enterprises. It aims to guide companies in achieving complementary advantages at the R&D end and create an innovative service export landscape at the market end, helping Shanghai's intelligence benefit the world as soon as possible.
Focusing on how to utilize global resources, enhance the ability to expand international markets, and create a new situation for the global development of the industry, the participants engaged in a lively discussion at the opening ceremony. In the dialogue on "Innovative Internationalization and Industrial Internationalization" hosted by Shen Bo, President of Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd., Gu Yushao, Global Senior Vice President of Medtronic and President of Greater China; Wu Xiaobin, Global President and Chief Operating Officer of BeiGene; Zhang Qiang, Chairman of Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.; and Chen Qiyu, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Fosun International Limited shared their valuable insights.
Gu Yushao suggested that Shanghai's comprehensive advantages, such as openness and innovation, talent aggregation, and clinical research, can be fully utilized to continue fostering start-up enterprises and promoting medical R&D. This can be achieved by deepening cooperation with Big Pharma companies based in Shanghai, leveraging their mature global resources to help Shanghai build a world-class biopharmaceutical industry cluster.
Wu Xiaobin believes that building a global Big Pharma cannot be achieved without First-in-Class (first-in-class innovative drugs) and Best-in-Class (best-in-class) innovations. Establishing a presence in key node cities represented by Shanghai to create a global innovation ecosystem will not only benefit the company’s own development but also deepen industry cooperation, thereby supporting the high-quality development of Shanghai's biopharmaceuticals industry.
Zhang Qiang stated that he will continue to focus on Shanghai, target the global market, actively plan and layout in collaborative innovation, drive the gathering of upstream and downstream elements through breakthroughs in fundamental technologies, continuously push for the tackling of key core technologies, strengthen industrial clusters, and create global influence in Shanghai.
Chen Qiyu used the example of Fosun taking root in Shanghai and growing vigorously to illustrate the huge development space demonstrated by "global organization + local operation" while fully leveraging global and ecosystem synergies based in Shanghai.
It is reported that this year's Industry Week will also feature overseas branch events for the first time. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Shanghai has organized a delegation comprising 20 leading universities and institutions, including the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, as well as representatives from benchmark enterprises. They will jointly visit Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, followed by Kazakhstan, to discuss trends in medical technology innovation, promote international biopharmaceutical project cooperation, facilitate the adoption of innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices from Shanghai, share experiences regarding regulations, management, and standards, and build consensus on open collaboration and shared success.