AstraZeneca's Wang Lei on Online Healthcare: Policy Implementation Benefits Enterprises and Enhances Doctor-Patient Communication

Original Title: AstraZeneca’s Wang Lei Discusses Online Healthcare: Policy Implementation Benefits Companies, and Doctor-Patient Communication Must Be Facilitated

On April 8, the “Opinions on Several Special Measures to Support the Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port by Relaxing Market Access” were released. Many of the policies benefit the development of the pharmaceutical sector, including supporting the online sale of prescription drugs, promoting the innovative development of high-end medical equipment manufactured in China in Hainan, and strengthening support for market access of pharmaceutical products.

In response, on April 19, during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021, Lei Wang, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, commented in an interview with a reporter from The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) that this is highly beneficial for multinational pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca. Due to the presence of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan, AstraZeneca can bring certain new oncology drugs that have not yet been approved in China but are already marketed overseas to the Lecheng Pilot Zone to provide services to patients.

Wang Lei stated that in the future, in addition to bringing medications to Hainan for patient treatment, efforts will be made to explore the implementation of advanced telemedicine technologies, artificial intelligence, and internet hospital solutions in Hainan, thereby establishing these new technologies in the region.

Wang Lei introduced that in November last year, AstraZeneca and Hillhouse Capital Group reached a strategic cooperation on the “Internet Hospital” project, supporting the establishment of an internet healthcare platform named “Huiyi Tianxia.” Wang Lei emphasized that AstraZeneca hopes this internet hospital will be a bustling, open public platform—not one solely dedicated to selling AstraZeneca’s drugs—but rather a collaborative space where all pharmaceutical companies can participate.

“The platform has been online for only one or two months, yet tens of thousands of physicians have already joined to conduct consultations with patients, and pharmaceutical e-commerce operations have also commenced,” said Wang Lei. He noted that there is currently no internet healthcare platform on the market built upon established physician–patient relationships. AstraZeneca aims to onboard hundreds of thousands of physicians in the future, with each physician potentially managing around 100 patients in their vicinity. “These patients typically see their physicians only during hospital visits; our platform can migrate these relationships online, enabling physicians to better follow up with their patients.”

Wang Lei believes that not all medical scenarios can be replaced by online methods, but internet hospitals can play a role in follow-up visits, chronic disease management, and repeat prescriptions.

In fact, in addition to large pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca, e-commerce companies including JD Health are also exploring the possibilities of internet hospitals. Amidst this competition, how does AstraZeneca differentiate itself? Wang Lei stated that traditional internet medical platforms facilitate communication between unfamiliar doctors and patients, whereas AstraZeneca places greater emphasis on fostering communication between doctors and patients who already know each other.

However, the most immediate question is whether physicians, who are already heavily burdened with offline clinical duties, have the incentive to provide online services to patients through internet healthcare platforms. In this regard, Wang Lei believes that the enthusiasm of physicians to practice in internet hospitals still needs to be cultivated. A key factor is that, with the possibility of multi-site practice and the development of commercial insurance, physicians can receive corresponding compensation for their labor.

Wang Lei explained, “In the future, the doctors we envision will accumulate experience in public hospitals while conducting lightweight online consultations to maintain contact with patients. After work, they can use their spare time to see patients covered by commercial insurance at private clinics, thereby earning higher compensation. They should have the opportunity to earn income from lightweight consultations during fragmented periods, thus attracting more patients. As the commercial insurance sector grows, mechanisms will be established to enable multi-site practice, allowing physicians to maintain relationships with a broader patient base, including those covered by commercial insurance, and consequently receive greater financial rewards for their labor.”

“Physician compensation is a critically urgent issue,” said Wang Lei. “China’s healthcare system must find ways to make physicians’ careers meaningful and their remuneration attractive.”

AstraZeneca’s internet hospital and pharmaceutical e-commerce projects launched in Hainan are also expected to benefit from the policy incentives supporting the online sale of prescription drugs, as outlined in the “Opinions on Several Special Measures for Relaxing Market Access in the Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.”

The "Opinions" propose supporting the online sale of prescription drugs and establishing the Hainan Electronic Prescription Center in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone (to provide third-party information services for prescription drug sellers). For prescription drugs marketed and sold in China, except for those explicitly subject to special management under the National Drug Administration Law, all are permitted to be sold online through the Electronic Prescription Center without requiring separate approval.

This clause has drawn close attention from the industry. Wang Lei told The Paper that, regardless of the type of internet hospital, the primary focus must be on patient-centered care, and integration with medical insurance systems must be achieved. “I believe e-commerce platforms have benefited patients by addressing the pain point of repeated prescriptions. Patients no longer need to queue repeatedly at hospitals, saving considerable time. As a result, many patients pay out-of-pocket. Currently, without medical insurance coverage, sales remain strong, which clearly indicates patients’ reluctance to spend two hours queuing at hospitals. This undoubtedly reflects a significant unmet need among patients.”

Responsible Editor: Xue Yongwei