First 'Future Healthcare' China Medical Technology Innovation Ecosystem Summit Held: Uniting Stakeholders to Build a Thriving Medical Technology Industry Ecosystem

The inaugural "Future of Healthcare" China Medical Technology Innovation Ecosystem Summit, co-hosted by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (hereinafter referred to as "AdvaMed") and global medical technology giant BD, was grandly held at Pudong Kerry Parkside. The summit gathered over 1,000 elites from industry, academia, research, innovation, investment, and media sectors for on-site attendance, while more than one million viewers watched the live broadcast online via platforms such as the People's Daily Health Channel, Toutiao, and Tencent Kandian. Distinguished guests including Zhou Liangfu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University; Zhang Zhenzhong, Honorary Director of the Health Development Research Center of the National Health Commission and Vice President of the China Health Economics Association; He Weigang, Director of the Yangtze River Delta Sub-Center for Medical Device Technical Review and Approval under the National Medical Products Administration; and Mi Zihou, President of IQVIA Asia Pacific, delivered keynote speeches either on-site or online. They shared insights on advanced technologies represented by digitalization and intelligence, new materials, and innovative processes, highlighting the directions and trends that will lead the future development of medical technology. Bolstered by robust regulatory and institutional support, these initiatives will pave a broader future for the innovative development of China's medical technology industry, ultimately benefiting healthcare professionals and patients alike.

The summit was officially opened remotely via video by Tom Polen, Global Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of BD. In his video address, Tom Polen stated, “In recent years, China has achieved globally recognized accomplishments in the field of medical innovation. With breakthroughs made by a number of innovative Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises in frontier areas such as immuno-oncology, coupled with China's leading position in digital and intelligent healthcare, China has now become a major driving force for global medical innovation; furthermore, the implementation of a series of new policies, including expanded healthcare insurance coverage and accelerated regulatory review and registration for innovative drugs and medical devices, has further incentivized intensified open collaboration in medical innovation, injecting new vitality into the sustained investment and commitment of global medical technology companies like BD to the Chinese market.”

(Figure 1: Tom Polen, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of BD, opens the conference remotely via video)

In his opening remarks, Jianmin Deng, Global Senior Vice President and General Manager of Greater China at BD, and Chairman of the AdvaMed China Board, pointed out: “As a strategic emerging industry strongly supported by the state, China's medical technology sector is entering a new era of vigorous development, backed by continuous national policy support and a steadily improving external environment. How to better leverage science as a driving force and regulations as an enabler to promote open innovation and collaborative win-win partnerships, and to embark on a future-oriented path of high-quality transformation and development—ultimately to better give back to society and benefit the public—is a historical mission and honor shared by the medical technology industry and all relevant stakeholders. This is also the unwavering commitment behind BD's localized innovation and development strategy of being ‘rooted in China and serving China.’”

(Figure 2: Jianmin Deng, BD Senior Vice President, Global & General Manager, Greater China, delivering the opening remarks as Chairman of the AdvaMed China Board)

At the conference, Zhou Liangfu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, delivered a keynote speech titled “Brain and Technology.” Drawing on the historical origins of neurosurgery development in China, he explored in depth how the iterative advancement of neurosurgical device technologies has impacted the treatment of complex and refractory conditions such as gliomas, thereby improving patient survival benefits. Furthermore, as cutting-edge technologies like genomics and big data algorithms are integrated into diverse diagnostic and therapeutic scenarios in neurosurgery, previously unmet clinical and patient needs are poised to be further addressed. This progression also validates the future trajectory of technology-driven medical device innovation: transitioning from the periphery of adjuvant therapy to encompass the entire disease management continuum, from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation.

(Figure 3: Zhou Liangfu, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, delivered a keynote speech titled "Brain and Technology".)

At the roundtable discussion of the main summit on "the high-quality transformation and development of future healthcare," senior executives from leading domestic and international pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises engaged in a lively and productive discussion. Participants included Yu Qingming, Party Secretary, Chairman, and Executive Director of Sinopharm Group; Wang Lei, Global Executive Vice President and President of International & China Business at AstraZeneca; Li Zhenfu, Chairman and CEO of Talfund Capital; Gu Yushao, Senior Global Vice President, Member of the Global Executive Committee, and President of Greater China at Medtronic (who also serves as Vice Chairman of the AdvaMed China Board); Xu Runhong, President of Greater China at Baxter (who also serves as an Executive Director of the AdvaMed China Council); Zhang Jun, President of Greater China at Boston Scientific; and Ma Min, Managing Director of Stryker China. How to seize the opportunities presented by national industrial policies and drive improvements in future healthcare experiences through technological breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of critical and chronic diseases, such as cancer, stood as the central focus of all attendees.

(Figure 4: Senior executives from leading domestic and international pharmaceutical and medical device companies engaged in a lively discussion on the high-quality transformation and development of future healthcare.)

On the day of the conference, attendees and corporate representatives from the industry, academia, research, innovation, investment, and media sectors also participated in the “Ten Sub-Forums.” Along with venue experts, they conducted half-day in-depth discussions on cutting-edge industry topics, including “Incubation of Healthcare Technology Innovation,” “Smart Diagnostics and Innovative Development,” “Immunity IVD Ecosystem,” “Smart Hospitals,” “Integrated Innovation in Venous Disease Diagnosis and Treatment,” “Industrial Innovation in Neurocritical Care,” “Commercial Health Insurance and Payment Innovation,” and “Investment, Financing, and Licensing Partnerships.” The thematic focus of these sub-forums serves as a comprehensive showcase of BD’s localized innovation and development strategy, which has recently entered a new phase. It highlights technological innovations across three key dimensions: digital and intelligent empowerment of healthcare systems, diversification of future healthcare delivery scenarios, and improvement of chronic disease management and clinical outcomes. By deeply integrating with localized complex clinical settings, these initiatives aim to further root and implement globally leading technological innovation solutions within China’s healthcare environment for both providers and patients.

Furthermore, this summit provided a collaboration platform for over 50 local healthcare innovation enterprises. The capabilities and potential they have demonstrated in fields such as healthcare digitalization and intelligence, as well as innovative pharmaceutical and medical device R&D, will also provide new momentum for BD to continuously expand the breadth and depth of local innovation and external collaboration, thereby building an industry ecosystem with technological innovation as its core element.

According to BD's financial report for the first half of fiscal year 2021, revenue in the Chinese market reached $655 million, representing a significant year-on-year increase of 33% and making a substantial contribution to global growth. It is expected that by 2025, the sales share generated by products from local R&D and external collaborations in China will grow to over 10%. By then, local R&D and external collaborations will cumulatively contribute more than 20% to the business growth of BD China.