Novartis and Zhangjiang Group Sign MoU to Establish China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform

SHANGHAI, Nov. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Nov. 6, at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Novartis and Zhangjiang Group officially signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the Novartis China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform. Leveraging its global innovation ecosystem resources, Novartis will collaborate with Zhangjiang Group to incubate and accelerate innovative projects in healthcare, life sciences, and other sectors, driving the development of the biopharmaceutical ecosystem in Shanghai and across China. Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai; Wu Qiang, Deputy Director of the People's Government of Pudong New Area; Xu Xin, Director of the Pudong New Area Science and Technology and Economic Commission; Fu Jun, Deputy Director of the Zhangjiang Administration of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone; Yuan Tao, Chairman of Zhangjiang Group; Dan Brindle, President of Novartis China; Wang Xingli, Head of Novartis Global Drug Development (China); and Chen Xiaojing, Head of Corporate Strategy and Public Affairs, Novartis China, among others, attended the signing ceremony.

Signing Ceremony Group Photo

Dan Brindle, President of Novartis China, stated: “Novartis actively supports the healthcare policy priorities and principles formulated by the Chinese government under the ‘Healthy China 2030’ strategy. The Novartis China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform is a crucial component of Novartis China’s strategic R&D layout and will serve as a new driving force for advancing R&D and innovation in China. Novartis will continue to partner with all stakeholders to deepen collaboration and contribute to the development of the biopharmaceutical ecosystem in Shanghai and across China.”

Address by Dan Brindle, President of Novartis (China)

Novartis maintains an industry-leading investigational product pipeline and has continuously accelerated the pace of new drug registration applications and market approvals in recent years, delivering benefits to patients in China. From 2020 to 2024, Novartis is projected to submit over 50 new drug applications in China, and is committed to synchronizing more than 90% of new drug registrations in China with global timelines by 2024.

Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, stated that Switzerland’s consistent top ranking in the innovation index for many consecutive years owes much to a large number of enterprises like Novartis, which boast robust R&D capabilities and a strong innovative spirit. Switzerland is committed to maintaining close cooperation with all parties in Shanghai and across China, sharing its development experience in the field of innovation, and supporting the innovative development of Swiss enterprises in China.

Novartis’s strategic deployment aligns closely with the development objectives of Shanghai and Pudong New Area. Currently, Shanghai is making concerted efforts to build a world-class biopharmaceutical industry cluster, accelerating the effective integration of innovation, industry, and capital to foster the high-end, intelligent, and international development of its biopharmaceutical sector. Meanwhile, as a pioneering area for socialist modernization, Pudong New Area is actively advancing the Large Enterprise Open Innovation Center initiative. By leveraging the internal innovation resources and global networks of major enterprises, it aims to aggregate, nurture, and incubate small and medium-sized technology enterprises along the innovation chain to drive collaborative innovation. The Novartis China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform is poised to contribute to these efforts, supporting Shanghai and Pudong in further enhancing the innovation capacity of their biopharmaceutical industries.

Novartis China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform Cooperation Memorandum Officially Signed

At the signing ceremony, Wu Qiang, Deputy District Mayor of Pudong New Area, stated that biopharmaceuticals is one of the six core industries strategically prioritized by Pudong. Currently, the biopharmaceutical industry in Pudong has taken shape, with innovative achievements continuously emerging. The Novartis China Life Sciences Open Innovation Platform will undoubtedly better leverage the strengths of both parties, pooling them into greater synergy to jointly help Shanghai and Pudong become a global hub for biopharmaceutical innovation.

Novartis has long upheld the philosophy of "Rooted in China, Committed to China." Leveraging its extensive product portfolio and robust pipeline, the company benefits patients in China and helps improve access to medicines and healthcare. Since 1987, nearly 90 Novartis medicines have been approved in China, covering multiple major disease areas including cardiovascular, oncology, immunology & dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, metabolic, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neuroscience, transplantation, anti-infectives, and hematology.