Paul Hudson of Sanofi Highlights Accelerated Digital Transformation in Healthcare Due to COVID-19

The 2021 Annual Meeting of the China Development Forum was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing from March 20 to 22.Online and OfflineHeld concurrently. Paul Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi, attended and delivered a speech.

Paul Han stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy and posed a major threat to global public health systems, and that countries should draw lessons from the costs they have incurred.

First, the pandemic has highlighted the critical relationship between human health and economic growth. Governments around the world must continue to increase investment in public health, strengthen infrastructure development, and promote scientific and technological innovation. “With the launch of the Healthy China roadmap, China is actually ahead of other countries; public health has become a key component in policy-making,” he said. This also demonstrates the government’s willingness to invest in the field of public health, an approach that has been replicated and emulated by governments in other countries.

Second, the pharmaceutical industry’s robust growth has also been evident in the fight against epidemics. “As we look to the future, every country should consider investing more in high-quality manufacturing capabilities to ensure both short- and long-term supply while shortening the supply chain,” emphasized Paul Hudson, who also stressed the need to create better conditions to foster collaboration between businesses and governments. Citing Sanofi as an example, he noted that the company has already invested RMB 200 million in China to build a manufacturing plant in Beijing and upgrade its production facilities.

Third, the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the application of digital technologies in the healthcare industry, making the entire industry’s value chain more digital. In Paul Hudson’s view, China is at the forefront of digital transformation, far ahead of other countries. “Over the past few years, Sanofi has taken significant measures to build our ecosystem. We have collaborated with leading Chinese internet companies on digital R&D, and carried out extensive cooperation at our Chengdu center and Shanghai incubator,” he said.

Fourth, Paul Han emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of vaccines. “We hope that the Chinese government and global health organizations will make substantial investments in vaccines to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases, such as influenza,” he said, stressing that people must place greater emphasis on vaccination.

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Responsible Editor: Liang Bin SF055