Novo Nordisk Reaffirms Commitment to China with Fifth CIIE Participation and Enhanced Local Strategy

ShanghaiNovember 8, 2022PR Newswire -- Recently, the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held as scheduled. The "old friends of CIIE" also arrived as promised, bringing innovative achievements, significant news, and future plans to the CIIE's "big platform" to seize China's "great opportunities." Novo Nordisk, a global leading biopharmaceutical company, participated in the CIIE for the fifth consecutive year, deepening its full industry chain layout and continuing the wonderful story of being an "CIIE partner."

Driving Change, Healthy China: CIIE Old Friends Fully Renewed

At the 5th CIIE, Novo Nordisk participated with the new theme "Driving Change, Healthy China".

Novo Nordisk Exhibits at the Fifth CIIE with a New Theme "Drive Change, Healthy China"

"Novo Nordisk Global Senior Vice President and Greater China President Zhou Xiaping said, 'This year, Novo Nordisk has released a new corporate brand philosophy -- Driving Change, Partnering to Defeat Diabetes and Other Serious Chronic Diseases. With this new theme at the exhibition, we demonstrated our ambition to accelerate into more disease areas as the company approaches its next century, as well as our determination to fully support the realization of Healthy China 2030.'"

Currently, serious chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity have become severe global health challenges. The number of adults with diabetes in China is approximately 140 million, the highest in the world; more than 50% of Chinese adults are overweight or obese; additionally, there are about 20 million rare disease patients in China, among which around 100,000 are estimated to be hemophilia patients, but currently, only about 30,000 cases are registered.

After nearly a century of innovative research, Novo Nordisk has accumulated significant innovative advantages in the field of serious chronic diseases that threaten patient health. Zhou Xiaping stated: "By expanding into new disease areas, we are committed to addressing human health challenges. At the same time, we are leveraging nearly a century of expertise, capabilities, and experience gained in the diabetes treatment field to better meet unmet medical needs in other serious chronic disease areas such as obesity, rare blood disorders, and endocrine diseases."

At this year's CIIE, Novo Nordisk showcased 14 innovative drugs in the fields of diabetes, hemophilia, and growth disorders, as well as 8 injection devices. It also established the first obesity science popularization zone in the pharmaceutical pavilion to help the public understand the impact of obesity on health and the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. On-site, Novo Nordisk continued to educate the public about diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases through small science classes, helping to enhance public health awareness and disease management capabilities.

Five-Year Investment, Continuously Deepening the Full Industry Chain Layout in China

Since entering China in 1994, Novo Nordisk has established a full industrial chain layout integrating R&D, production, and operations. During the five years of participating in the CIIE, Novo Nordisk has invested in China five times, with a total investment exceeding 2.5 billion yuan.

From 2019 to 2021, Novo Nordisk completed an investment of over 500 million RMB in its Tianjin plant, introducing three pre-filled injection pen production lines. In 2020, the company invested 200 million RMB in the Lin-gang Special Area of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone to establish Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Pharmaceutical Trading Co., Ltd. In 2021, Novo Nordisk increased its investment in China by 150 million USD to further enhance production capacity and build a digital factory. In 2022, an investment of approximately 500 million RMB was made to construct a high-rise automated warehouse at the Novo Nordisk Tianjin production plant.

At this year's CIIE, Novo Nordisk announced an investment of 400 million yuan to establish Novo Nordisk (Shanghai) Investment Co., Ltd. in the Lingang area of Shanghai. The newly established investment company will hold controlling stakes in Novo Nordisk's various business operations in mainland China, including production, trade, and R&D, upgrading to a "Dual Centers, Three Engines" strategic layout — with Novo Nordisk's Greater China Trade and Innovation Center located in Shanghai, the production center in Tianjin, and the R&D engine in Beijing. Leveraging Shanghai’s preferential policies to enhance its international trade center capabilities, Tianjin's advanced manufacturing advantages, and Beijing's strengths as an international exchange and science innovation hub, these centers will work synergistically to propel Novo Nordisk's China business into a new phase of development, benefiting patients.

Novo Nordisk Announces Establishment of Investment Company and Signs Agreement with Shanghai Lingang New Area Management Committee at the Fifth CIIE

In addition, Novo Nordisk and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony at the Fifth China International Import Expo. With a total investment of nearly 200 million yuan, Novo Nordisk partnered with Shanghai Pharmaceuticals to build a modern pharmaceutical logistics and warehousing center, setting a benchmark for intelligent logistics and warehousing in Shanghai. This is an important step in Novo Nordisk's new layout of the entire industrial chain, further strengthening its trading and innovation center operations in Shanghai.

"China Co-creation" Helps China Join the First Tier of Pharmaceutical Innovation

"Innovation is the fundamental way for a company to survive and develop. Innovation is Novo Nordisk's core contribution to patients and the broader healthcare industry, and it is also our commitment to patients in China. The importance of China in Novo Nordisk's global R&D strategy has been elevated to the highest level," said Zhou Xiaping.

In 2020, Novo Nordisk launched the "China New Initiative" program, incorporating China into Novo Nordisk's global synchronized R&D system. Novo Nordisk aims to leverage the reform of China’s pharmaceutical policies to accelerate innovation, enabling clinical research in China to proceed in sync with global R&D efforts, and allowing Chinese patients to benefit simultaneously with patients worldwide. It is expected that after 2025, over 90% of global innovative drugs will be submitted for approval in China at the same time.

Novo Nordisk's Innovative Drugs and Injection Devices on Display at the Fifth CIIE

Innovation drives the updating and iteration of drugs and devices, while collaboration continuously expands the boundaries of the ecosystem. Over five consecutive China International Import Expos (CIIE), the upgrading and expansion of "China Co-creation" have been witnessed. To date, Novo Nordisk has established strategic clinical trial cooperation centers with 15 hospitals and 28 departments, covering eight therapeutic areas, strengthening academic exchanges with hospitals in China. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk also promotes innovation through INNOVO.^®Open Innovation Platform, Joining Hands with China's Biopharmaceutical Innovation Power, Accelerating the Transformation of Scientific Research Achievements. Currently, INNOVO^®The platform has reached cooperation intentions with more than 30 projects, of which 2 projects have successfully entered the Novo Nordisk global R&D pipeline. In 2022, INNOVO^®Platform Launches New Initiative: Novo Nordisk Partners with ATLATL Dart International Innovation Center to Unveil "Star Start" Program, Supporting Innovation Transformation.

For Novo Nordisk, the innovation goal of 'In China, for China; In China, for the world' is gradually being achieved.

Digital Empowerment: Supporting Patients' Healthy Living

With the rapid progress of technology, the development of digital technology and chronic disease management is sparking innovation. At the 5th CIIE, Novo Nordisk showcased two digital disease management tools: "NovoCare - Extraordinary," Novo Nordisk's first digital platform supporting services for patients with rare diseases, and NovoPen, the first smart insulin pen in China that can connect and transmit data.^®6. These two achievements empower patients through digital means, creating innovative digital health solutions.

In May this year, Novo Nordisk China officially announced that it would also enter more rare and ultra-rare diseases. Previously, the "NovoCare" mini-program had a diabetes version, supporting all Novo Nordisk products in the diabetes field, allowing nearly 150,000 patients to use digital services from "NovoCare." The artificial intelligence chatbot "Xiao Nuo Teacher," co-developed by Novo Nordisk and Microsoft at the third CIIE, has also been integrated into the "NovoCare" platform, providing professional and efficient diabetes consultation and Q&A services to diabetes patients 24/7. So far, it has assisted nearly 20,000 patients and answered nearly 250,000 patient inquiries.

Having participated in the CIIE for five consecutive years, Zhou Xiaping, Senior Vice President of Novo Nordisk and President of Greater China, commented on the event: "The CIIE is an important window for the world to observe China, showcasing China's openness, sincerity in cooperation, and inclusiveness. We hope to leverage the broad platform of the CIIE to expand our circle of friends, jointly drive change with all parties, collaborate to combat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases, and better serve patients in China."