AstraZeneca and Hainan Provincial Government Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Launch Internet Hospital Platform and Accelerate Digital Healthcare

On the first day of the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE), AstraZeneca and the Hainan Provincial People’s Government signed a series of important letters of intent for cooperation in the field of digital healthcare innovation, actively responding to the national major strategy of “Building the China Free Trade Port” and closely aligning with the strategic goal of building a “Healthy China.” Under the guidance of the Hainan Provincial People’s Government, AstraZeneca and Hillhouse Venture Capital officially announced at the CIIE that they had signed a cooperation agreement on an “Internet Hospital.” Industry leaders including Hillhouse Venture Capital, AstraZeneca, Siemens, Omron, Shanghai Pharma Holdings, Kangtai Biological Products, and LinkDoc Technology witnessed the signing onsite, aiming to join hands to promote the future development of internet-based healthcare. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca China signed the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Digital Healthcare Innovation in Hainan” with the Administration Bureau of Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone and the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau, planning to carry out comprehensive cooperation in areas such as the introduction of innovative drugs for oncology and other indications, smart healthcare and related capacity building, and climate healthcare. This series of collaborations will help advance the enhancement of “Internet + Healthcare” technologies in Hainan’s medical institutions and empower the development of the entire healthcare industry.

Shen Danyang, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Hainan Province; Wang Lei, Deputy Secretary-General of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Office of Comprehensive Deepening Reform; Sun Shiwen, Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Hainan Province; Chen Xi, Director and Party Secretary of the Department of Commerce of Hainan Province; Han Shengjian, Director of the Hainan Provincial Bureau of Economic Development; relevant leaders from the Hainan Provincial Health Commission and the Drug Administration; Liu Zhefeng, Deputy Director of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration; and other officials attended and witnessed the conclusion of this cooperation. Also in attendance were Hillhouse Executive Director Sun Xin; AstraZeneca Global Executive Vice President, President of International Business and China Wang Lei; AstraZeneca China General Manager Lai Minglong; Siemens Greater China President Wang Hao; Zhao Yao, Director and General Manager of Omron Healthcare (China) Co., Ltd.; Ren Gang, Vice President of Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holdings and Executive Director of Shanghai Logistics; Miao Xiang, Deputy General Manager and Board Secretary of Kangtai Biological Products; and Zhang Tianze, Founder and CEO of LinkDoc Technology.

Shen Danyang, Vice Governor of Hainan Provincial People’s Government, stated in his remarks at the signing ceremony: “In advancing the development of the Hainan Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Hainan Free Trade Port with Chinese characteristics, we have consistently prioritized the health industry. Through this signing, Hainan Province has identified a batch of key projects for the focused development of the health sector. We hope to leverage AstraZeneca’s extensive industry expertise and abundant resources to pursue deeper innovative exploration in the field of digital healthcare, thereby forging a path for the development of the health industry with distinct Hainan characteristics.”

Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President and President of International Business and China at AstraZeneca, stated, “AstraZeneca has consistently responded actively to the national call for promoting the development of digital healthcare, continuously exploring innovative application models of ‘Internet + Healthcare.’ With strong support from the Hainan Provincial Government and leveraging the platform provided by the China International Import Expo (CIIE), AstraZeneca has been able to integrate our cutting-edge innovative concepts, global advantageous resources, and deep-rooted local experience with the distinctive characteristics of regional healthcare development in Hainan Province, thereby facilitating the tangible implementation of a series of projects to benefit the public. Meanwhile, we greatly look forward to initiating collaboration with Hillhouse, a leading investment institution in Asia, to fully leverage our respective strengths and ensure that high-quality medical services in the digital era reach more patients.”

Yi Nuoqing, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Hillhouse and Head of Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at Hillhouse Ventures, stated, “Biopharmaceuticals and healthcare have always been key strategic investment focuses for Hillhouse. Since 2005, Hillhouse has invested in nearly 200 companies globally within the broader healthcare industry, with total investments exceeding RMB 150 billion and the combined market capitalization of portfolio companies surpassing RMB 2.5 trillion. While China’s healthcare service capabilities and quality safety standards continue to improve, challenges such as uneven distribution of medical resources persist, leaving significant unmet needs. This collaboration between Hillhouse and AstraZeneca to support internet hospitals will promote a more rational regional allocation of medical resources, enabling patients across all regions of China to access top-tier healthcare services. Hillhouse will fully leverage its global resource advantages in the biopharmaceutical sector, integrate the upstream and downstream ecosystem of the healthcare industry, and foster industrial convergence, innovation, and win-win outcomes.”

Currently, China’s healthcare industry continues to face a situation where supply falls short of demand, while the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the demand for online medical services. This internet hospital platform aims to establish an independently operated, open platform that provides intelligent, convenient, and comprehensive whole-course management with high-quality medical services to a broad patient population. The platform will leverage extensive strengths from partners across various sectors, including Hillhouse’s premium resources and AstraZeneca’s disease insights and industry expertise accumulated over 27 years of deep engagement in China. By drawing on rich medical domain experience, it will help patients with common and chronic diseases access long-term, effective, scientific, and convenient integrated online-to-offline (O2O) services. The launch of this project will empower physicians and medical institutions to realize greater value, substantially improve the accessibility of medical resources, and better meet patients’ healthcare needs and enhance their care experiences.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca China and the Administration Bureau of Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone signed a strategic cooperation agreement on the “Pilot Implementation of Innovative Oncology Drugs in Boao.” The two parties will collaborate through the “Pilot Program for Innovative Oncology Drugs and the Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment Center” to accelerate the introduction of global innovative oncology drugs into China, thereby providing Chinese patients with access to innovative diagnostic and therapeutic solutions at an earlier stage. It is reported that in October this year, the application submitted by Boao Super Hospital for Selumetinib, imported as a clinically urgent drug, was approved by the Hainan Provincial Drug Administration. This marks the first such approval in China. Selumetinib is the first targeted therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a condition classified as a rare disease in both the United States and Europe. This approval represents a breakthrough in the treatment of NF1, offering significant benefits to patients. Also this year, the HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate DS-8201 (already approved by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer) and the next-generation BTK inhibitor Acalabrutinib (indicated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia and relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma) have been included in the Boao Lecheng List of Specially Imported Innovative Oncology Drugs and covered by the Hainan Lecheng Global Special Drug Insurance. According to both parties, they will continue to promote the accelerated entry of more global innovative drugs into the Chinese market.

The "Hainan Digital Healthcare Innovation Strategic Cooperation Agreement" signed at the China International Import Expo leverages the policy advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port and integrates the resources of multinational pharmaceutical companies to pioneer new approaches for the development of digital healthcare. Under the agreement, all parties will fully utilize their respective strengths to engage in comprehensive exchanges and cooperation in the healthcare sector. This includes assisting the Hainan Provincial Government in promoting the deep integration of information technology with medical services, addressing patients' actual healthcare needs, and thereby providing full-process, personalized, and intelligent services covering pre-diagnosis, during-diagnosis, and post-diagnosis stages. A "Medical Training and Exchange Base and Achievement Exhibition Center" will be established in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, with a focus on the cultivation of professional talent. Furthermore, to better align with Hainan's unique characteristics, the collaborating parties will leverage the local distinctive ecological environment and climatic conditions to advance research in the climate therapy industry, explore relevant policies for the industrialized development of integrated medical and elderly care in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and seek practical references for implementation.

In response, Wang Lei, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, stated, “We look forward to working closely with our partners to leverage digital innovation in support of the development of Hainan Province’s healthcare services, thereby providing the Chinese people with more accessible, intelligent, and precise healthcare solutions.”

Disclaimer: The drugs mentioned in the press release have not yet been launched in China.

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription medicines, with a particular emphasis on three major therapeutic areas: oncology; cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism; and respiratory and immunology. Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, AstraZeneca operates in more than 100 countries, and its innovative medicines benefit millions of patients worldwide.

Since entering China in 1993, AstraZeneca has adhered to a science-led approach, prioritizing innovation to meet the country’s growing health needs and realizing its grand vision of “pioneering innovation, benefiting patients, and becoming China’s most trusted healthcare partner.” Headquartered in Shanghai, AstraZeneca China has established regional headquarters in Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Chengdu, with more than 20,000 employees nationwide. The company has invested in manufacturing bases in Wuxi and Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, and established its China logistics center in Wuxi. In China, AstraZeneca focuses primarily on therapeutic areas with the most urgent patient needs, including respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, oncology, gastrointestinal, and renal diseases. In 2017, the China Health IoT Innovation Center was launched in Wuxi to explore innovative integrated solutions for whole-disease management combining Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled diagnosis and treatment. In the same year, AstraZeneca formed a joint venture with SDIC Innovation to establish Dizal (Jiangsu) Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., accelerating the pace of local new drug research and development. In 2019, AstraZeneca announced a collaboration with Wuxi to co-establish the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park, pooling global wisdom to benefit Chinese patients. Also in 2019, AstraZeneca announced the establishment of its Global R&D China Center in Shanghai and jointly founded a global healthcare industry fund with CICC Capital.