AstraZeneca Leverages CIIE to Enhance Healthcare Accessibility and Safeguard Public Health

ShanghaiNovember 8, 2022PR Newswire -- On the fourth day of the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), AstraZeneca, in collaboration with government, industry, academia, research, medical, and investment sectors, focused on multiple dimensions of healthcare accessibility. With an emphasis on unmet treatment needs of Chinese patients, the company is deeply committed to nine therapeutic areas, continuously promoting the development of a more resilient healthcare system and contributing to the early realization of "Healthy China 2030." At the same time, AstraZeneca breaks down internal and external barriers within the enterprise, actively dedicating itself to the high-quality and comprehensive development of talent in China's healthcare industry.

Executive Vice President, International Business and President, China of AstraZenecaWang Lei"The open platform of the CIIE provides AstraZeneca and cross-sector partners with an opportunity to deeply discuss the accessibility of high-quality innovative drugs for patients, the availability of quality healthcare at the grassroots level, integrated diagnosis and treatment, full disease management, and talent development in the medical industry. This allows us to better focus on patients, apply innovative concepts and digital tools, and work together to find the best treatment plans and comprehensive disease solutions for them, contributing to the early achievement of the 'Healthy China 2030' goals."

Widespread Patient Access to High-Quality Innovative Drugs

In addition to promoting whole-course disease management and medical institution development, AstraZeneca continues to fulfill its mission as a multinational pharmaceutical company by leveraging the CIIE platform to accelerate the broad accessibility of high-quality drugs. During this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca is actively promoting Suliri, its first innovative rare disease drug in China.^®Accelerating implementation across China, providing "CIIE speed" to benefit Chinese patients with rare diseases. At the same time, AstraZeneca and the Qingdao government have made substantial progress in the construction of the Qingdao regional headquarters and innovation ecosystem themed around rare diseases. Both parties will further deepen cooperation in the introduction of innovative drugs for rare diseases and medical treatment services. AstraZeneca will also further promote cooperation with industry partners such as the China Primary Health Care Foundation and CanSino in the field of rare diseases, jointly contributing to the hope of life.

In addition, AstraZeneca is actively expanding the ecosystem cooperation for its new oncology products. It has reached a strategic partnership with Jiuyi Medical Group, a leading local enterprise in the field of internet medicine and retail, focusing on innovative patient services for the new generation of antibody-drug conjugates. This further highlights AstraZeneca's patient-centered values, implementing an integrated approach to patient diagnosis and treatment, and improving the accessibility and affordability of innovative drugs for patients with advanced breast cancer. In terms of drug distribution, at this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca also reached strategic cooperation intentions with several top pharmaceutical commercial enterprises regarding the commercial layout of a重磅级 breast cancer product, the new generation of antibody-drug conjugates, which is about to be launched in China.

In the field of diversified payment, AstraZeneca continuously promotes innovative collaboration in medical insurance to help patients truly access innovative drugs: AstraZeneca signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with Simpler Health Technology to promote project cooperation including commercial health insurance and inclusive commercial health insurance, jointly explore the establishment of an innovative drug payment system, improve patients' payment ability, and enhance drug accessibility and affordability.

High-quality medical resources accessible at the grassroots level

AstraZeneca Continues to Expand Diverse Collaborations in Grassroots Markets, Aiding the Realization of "Major Illnesses Treated Without Leaving the County, Minor Illnesses Treated Without Leaving the Village." Through the CIIE platform, AstraZeneca partners with collaborators to jointly enhance grassroots disease prevention, treatment, and health management capabilities. On the second day of the CIIE, the 2022 "Thousand Counties Project – County Hospital Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center Construction Initiative," hosted by the China Medical Culture Association and supported by AstraZeneca China, held its launch ceremony. This project will focus on efficiently advancing and implementing the development and enhancement of cancer specialty capabilities in county hospitals, thereby more steadily executing the national tiered medical treatment policy and benefiting more cancer patients in counties across China.

In addition, AstraZeneca has reached a strategic cooperation with the Health Bureau of Anning City, Yunnan Province, to jointly explore the construction of a chronic disease management center within the county's medical consortium, promoting the development of Anning’s county-level chronic disease management center. AstraZeneca has also established a close-knit medical consortium strategic partnership with the Health Bureau of Shouguang City, Weifang City, Shandong Province, to help improve the standardized diagnosis and treatment capabilities of doctors at grassroots health centers and affiliated village clinics under tight integration, thereby enhancing disease prevention awareness and treatment rates among grassroots patients in the region. Furthermore, AstraZeneca signed a memorandum of cooperation on smart community chronic disease management with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Yinzhou District, Ningbo City, assisting the district Health Commission and community hospitals in implementing standardized chronic disease management services including precise preliminary examinations, follow-ups, and health check-ups, contributing to the development of community healthcare services.

In recent years, national policies have continuously promoted the standardized and sustainable development of private healthcare, which is becoming a strong complement to the public healthcare system. At this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca announced strategic cooperation agreements with seven major healthcare groups, including Huarun Liaojian, United Family Healthcare, New Horizon, Baoshihua, Guizhou Kekai Pharmaceuticals, Zhongyuan Pharmaceuticals, and International Medical. AstraZeneca will collaborate with these healthcare group partners to integrate high-quality resources, empower each other, benefit patients, and continue to support the early realization of "Healthy China 2030."

Jointly Create an Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment Solution

In the field of oncology, at this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca joined hands with its partners to build an oncology ecosystem to help achieve China's cancer prevention and treatment goals. On the second day of the CIIE, AstraZeneca and Shiyao Group signed a cooperation agreement for joint scientific research on the lung cancer targeted drug Osimertinib, aiming to further promote the development of precision medicine and innovative ecosystems, improving survival benefits for lung cancer patients. This marks the first practice of AstraZeneca's "Lung Cancer Targeted Joint Scientific Research Cooperation" project launched in February this year, and also serves as an example of AstraZeneca actively collaborating with local enterprises to support local R&D innovation.

At the same time, AstraZeneca joined hands with its precision diagnosis ecosystem partners to establish the MET HER2 Tumor Precision Diagnosis Alliance. It also signed cooperation agreements with Roche Diagnostics, AmoyDx, Genetron Health, and RuiAng Gene to jointly build a lung cancer rare mutation ecosystem. This collaboration promotes technical exchanges, resource sharing, and win-win cooperation among partners, actively advancing the implementation of innovative diagnostic solutions for relevant patients based on clinical needs and cutting-edge technologies, supporting the achievement of the Healthy China 2030 strategic goals. Additionally, AstraZeneca has partnered with Dunfu Medical Group to provide breast cancer patients with a secure, convenient, and standardized full-process solution for special drug infusion, jointly creating a model for the application and management of oncology specialty drugs and patient services. This helps relevant patients gain more treatment opportunities, offering hope for improving quality of life and extending lifespan.

In addition, patient care is also an important part of AstraZeneca's integrated diagnosis and treatment philosophy. As one of the supporters, AstraZeneca participated in the "5's Miracle" 2022 China Ovarian Cancer Patient Care Public Welfare Project initiated by the Beijing Kanghua Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Development Foundation. During the CIIE, the project held the new book release event for *5's Miracle My Miracle*, the first collection of real-life stories from ovarian cancer patients and doctors in China. With the collective strength of fighting cancer, it aims to encourage patients to face the disease with positivity and optimism, achieve higher-quality long-term survival goals, comprehensively improve the 5-year survival rate, and make the cure for ovarian cancer possible.

In the fields of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases, AstraZeneca supports the early intervention and focus on the three major chronic diseases—diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease—through comprehensive disease management and innovative approaches. This helps delay disease progression and improve health outcomes for patients across China.

Under the advocacy of Academician Ning Guang, AstraZeneca supported the Shanghai Medical and Health Development Foundation in building the National Standardized Management Center for Metabolic Diseases (MMC), promoting the whole-process management of early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of metabolic diseases and their complications. Currently, MMC has been implemented in 960 hospitals across China, benefiting more than one million patients. In August this year, based on MMC and led by Academician Ning Guang, AstraZeneca collaborated with Wuxi High-tech Zone and Zhizhong Medical to build the Metabolic Industry Park (MCampus), establishing an open ecosystem that fosters the integrated and mutually beneficial development of "clinical + industry." The goal is to attract and cultivate 50 enterprises within five years. At this year's CIIE, MCampus also successfully signed the first batch of research cooperation enterprise intentions.

AstraZeneca Deepens Strategic Cooperation with the Chinese Heart Failure Center at This Year's CIIE, Continuously Supporting the Construction and Quality Control Management of the Heart Failure Center, Promoting Standardized Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Heart Failure, Aiming to Minimize the Rehospitalization and Mortality Rates of Heart Failure.

Moreover, at this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca has expanded its boundaries by collaborating with multiple parties to achieve cross-field treatment cooperation. AstraZeneca has reached several significant collaborations with JD Health, including signing an agreement for Bricanyl tablets, which will benefit more patients continuously through e-commerce channels; announcing a strategic cooperation project for the Online Prostate Care Center, jointly enhancing public awareness of prostate diseases, enabling more prostate cancer patients to achieve early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment, improving their survival benefits and quality of life. AstraZeneca also announced Sino-foreign MDT and innovative diagnosis and treatment-related strategic cooperation, benefiting a broader range of patients through diversified innovations.

Digital Healthcare Technology Benefits the People

AstraZeneca continues to empower its ecosystem partners. At this year's CIIE, multiple partners showcased several smart healthcare achievements, covering cutting-edge fields such as AI, digital health, and precision diagnostics, jointly building a closed-loop solution for disease diagnosis and treatment. Hisky Medical, a company signed up at Wuxi iCampus, presented its self-developed...iLivTouch®Liver Diagnosis and Treatment System,Capable of integrated detection of liver tissue morphology, liver inflammation, fibrosis, and fatty changes, making early screening and diagnosis of liver diseases possible; Ruin迈拓, a company signed at Guangzhou iCampus, has developed independently.Lord of Sensation™Clinical Auxiliary Diagnosis System for Pathogenic Microorganisms,The system can identify up to more than 20,000 known human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, tuberculosis, and parasites, and is capable of quickly generating visual reports. Diyingjia has introduced an HER2 AI-assisted interpretation solution that can automatically analyze whole-slide HER-2 immunohistochemistry digital images of breast cancer, providing auxiliary diagnostic support for HER-2 grading. Applied Cells, a company signed with Shanghai iCampus, brings...MARS®Automated Workstation for Cell Isolation and Enrichment, providing a one-stop efficient and high-quality cell isolation solution and an automated sample preparation system that can replace centrifugation, with key metrics leading globally.

AstraZeneca has also reached a cooperation with Beijing Renxin Medical Technology Co., Ltd. in the aspect of the integrated innovation and development of the medical metaverse industry. Based on AstraZeneca's professional knowledge in the field of prostate cancer and the integrated diagnosis and treatment innovation concept, as well as Renxin Medical’s holographic imaging puncture technology system platform, they will jointly explore the feasibility of embedding the "X-ray Vision & Navigator" system into the integrated tumor diagnosis and treatment concept, along with comprehensive solutions for imaging puncture capabilities for urinary system diseases. This aims to provide professional precision puncture testing, data analysis, etc., for integrated diagnosis and treatment puncture centers, laboratory departments, and clinical settings, assisting clinicians in promoting the enhancement of the precise diagnosis and treatment concept for prostate cancer.

In addition, following the introduction of new resident companies to the Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Parks (iCampus) at this year’s CIIE, 13 innovative companies have officially completed their move into the Shanghai iCampus. These companies will jointly promote the innovation and development of digital healthcare and R&D. AstraZeneca also signed an agreement with Wanda Information Technology Co., Ltd., a leading provider of smart city integrated solutions in China, to carry out comprehensive cooperation in areas such as enhancing regional medical service capabilities, building a digital health management platform, creating a long-term health management operation model, and exploring innovative health care security cooperation.

Accelerate the cultivation of high-quality medical talents

Under the guidance of the strategy of strengthening the country with talent, comprehensively improving the quality of independent talent cultivation and focusing on fostering top innovative talents has become a key priority for the sustainable development of the healthcare sector. At this year's CIIE, AstraZeneca and the Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Commercial Innovation Science and Technology Foundation completed a strategic cooperation agreement. As part of this collaboration, AstraZeneca will support the foundation’s development initiatives, working together to discover and cultivate technology entrepreneurs. By empowering talent, management, capital, and industry, the partnership aims to integrate scientific innovation technologies and business models, connect high-quality resources both domestically and internationally, and promote the selection and incubation of outstanding innovative projects and talents in the life sciences and health sectors. This effort seeks to advance the construction and improvement of the Yangtze River Delta's medical innovation industry and contribute to building a sustainable development science and technology innovation ecosystem in the region.

As an innovation leader in the industry, AstraZeneca is committed to fostering communication channels for talent both inside and outside the company, contributing to the high-quality development of pharmaceutical professionals. At the CIIE booth, AstraZeneca launched a "Talent Fair" live job recruitment event, where senior executives were invited to serve as hosts for the first time, sharing career insights with employees outside the venue. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca set up a "Talent Checkpoint Station" at the booth and officially established the "AstraZeneca Alumni Association," an organization primarily composed of former AstraZeneca employees, aiming to create a platform for quality talent exchange within the industry. Additionally, AstraZeneca has initiated collaborations with prestigious universities, inviting campus ambassadors from Fudan University, Jiaotong University, Tongji University, China Pharmaceutical University, and Shenyang Pharmaceutical University to act as "Booth Assistants," exploring the CIIE in-depth and experiencing their first taste of the professional world.

Wang Lei"The President stated, 'After participating in the CIIE for five consecutive years, AstraZeneca has deeply felt the spillover effects and significant influence of this open platform in promoting innovative cooperation both domestically and internationally. This has given us the opportunity to better contribute to the construction of an innovative industry landscape and high-quality development. In the future, AstraZeneca will continue to collaborate with cross-border partners both within and outside China, enhancing industry transformation and upgrading across all fields, and jointly contributing to the early realization of Healthy China 2030.'"

Disclaimer: For use only at the 2022 CIIE, not for any promotional purposes. AstraZeneca does not recommend the use of any unapproved drugs.