Abbott Launches 'Preventive Health Future' Initiative for Disease Prevention and Management

On November 7, 2022, during the Fifth China International Import Expo, Abbott, a global leading healthcare company, announced the launch of the "Preshape the Future" disease prevention and management project. This initiative aims to integrate Abbott's cutting-edge diagnostic solutions with disease risk assessment models tailored to meet the needs of the Chinese market. Through a single blood test, it will facilitate the screening of risks for diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and infectious diseases, providing the public with forward-looking health risk assessments and comprehensive medical guidance. As a leader in the diagnostics field, Abbott has never ceased its pursuit of innovative exploration. Rooted in the local market, Abbott continuously enhances the accessibility and availability of laboratory diagnostic solutions in China, helping establish more robust standards for disease prevention and management, and enabling more Chinese patients to access high-quality diagnosis and treatment opportunities.

From left to right: Ms. Jinmei Lu, Public Affairs Director of Abbott Greater China; Professor Jinliang Xing, Chairman of the Tumor Marker Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; Professor Xiaoke Hao, Vice President of the Laboratory Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Ms. Ying Chen, Global Vice President of Abbott Core Diagnostics; Professor Xuefeng Wang, Chairman of the Specialty Committee on Laboratory Medicine of the Shanghai Medical Association; Ms. Jun Ji, Human Resources Director of Abbott Greater China.

Chen Ying, Vice President of Abbott's Core Diagnostics Division, Global, stated: "As the ‘Healthy China 2030’ plan continues to advance, concepts such as prevention before illness and early diagnosis and treatment have gained widespread acceptance. As an industry leader with a variety of in vitro diagnostic solutions tailored to local needs and disease risk stratification, Abbott aims to leverage cutting-edge disease risk assessment models to help the public manage and intervene in high-risk factors across critical disease areas—such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and infectious diseases—through a simple blood test. This effort will shape a promising and healthier future. We are also highly honored to collaborate with all parties, enabling Abbott Laboratories’ diagnostic solutions to benefit more medical institutions and reach a broader patient population across China."

Ying Chen, Global Vice President of Abbott Core Diagnostics
In recent years, chronic diseases, represented by cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic respiratory system diseases, have become the leading cause of death and disease burden among Chinese residents. According to the 2020 global cancer burden data released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, the number of new cancer cases in China ranks first globally. The latest national cancer statistics released by the National Cancer Center this year show that the number of new cancer cases in China is increasing year by year, reaching 4.064 million in 2016. The top four most prevalent types are lung cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and liver cancer. Some cancers have high incidence rates and are detected at middle or late stages. To effectively control cancer, the "Healthy China Action" proposes focusing on the whole-process management of "prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation," advocating scientific cancer prevention, paying attention to risk prevention, and promoting early diagnosis and treatment to achieve effective cancer control.

Professor Wang Chuanxin, the incumbent chairman of the Chinese Medical Association's Branch of Laboratory Medicine, pointed out: "We must thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and advance the construction of Healthy China. The rapid development of laboratory medicine provides high-quality services for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Medical laboratories need to achieve 'excellence through testing' to promote the overall performance improvement of hospitals and maximize patient benefits. In terms of cancer diagnosis, we have seen Chinese expert teams fully explore the value of testing data, apply the concept of multidisciplinary joint diagnosis to further develop cancer risk assessment models, and achieve remarkable progress. We believe the future is promising."

Professor Wang Chuanxin, the Incoming Chairman of the Chinese Society of Laboratory Medicine of the Chinese Medical Association

Taking liver cancer as an example, the screening for viral hepatitis will help shift the prevention of liver cancer to an earlier stage. The "Overview of the 2021 National Statutory Infectious Disease Epidemic" released by the National Health Commission of China shows that viral hepatitis ranks first among Class B infectious diseases in terms of the number of cases. It is estimated that there are approximately 86 million people infected with the hepatitis B virus and about 9.79 million people infected with the hepatitis C virus in China. Professor Liu Yuping, the incumbent chairman-elect of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, stated, "In the entire Healthy China initiative, the prevention and control of major diseases is a very important task. The implementation of health management must first improve lifestyle, placing early screening and early diagnosis of diseases as top priorities, and further perfecting the discipline system of health management. Viral hepatitis is one of the major threats to human health, and health check-ups are currently one of the main ways to detect hepatitis virus infections and patients in China. We appeal to include hepatitis screening in routine physical examinations for the general public, so more patients can be detected promptly and receive treatment as soon as possible, jointly promoting the early diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis and liver cancer."

Professor Liu Yuping, the incumbent Chairman of the Health Management Branch of the Chinese Medical Association

After more than 30 years of deep cultivation in China, Abbott has been closely following the development trends of China's healthcare industry. To further implement disease prevention and management, and based on the launch of the "Prevent for Better Health" initiative, Abbott will collaborate with authoritative associations to promote disease prevention and management through a series of actions. These include: launching clinical education programs for doctors and educating patients about diseases via digital channels; integrating research data related to clinical practices to establish guidelines suitable for China; and cooperating with association resources to develop a patient-centered multidisciplinary consultation model to better assist high-risk populations in managing their conditions. In the future, guided by its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Abbott will work closely with industry partners to better meet the current demand for earlier disease management intervention, supporting early diagnosis and treatment.