AstraZeneca Elevates Innovation Strategy with Cross-sector Partnerships to Co-create an Open Healthcare Ecosystem

In the public perception, AstraZeneca is often viewed as a foreign pharmaceutical company providing innovative drugs in fields such as oncology, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, metabolic disorders, and digestive diseases. In reality, in recent years, as innovative technologies begin to reshape the pharmaceutical industry, AstraZeneca has been undergoing subtle changes. Nowadays, rather than simply calling it a pharmaceutical company, it would be more accurate to describe AstraZeneca as an innovative pharmaceutical platform enterprise.

In recent years, AstraZeneca has collaborated with numerous local enterprises in China to build an innovative healthcare ecosystem, successfully establishing integrated diagnosis and treatment centers across the country. “1+1>2” is an immutable truth; collaboration always generates new chemical reactions. It must be acknowledged that AstraZeneca has already reaped the dividends of innovative partnerships and is moving forward unswervingly on the path of open cooperation.

June 21–22, 20202020 AstraZeneca China Ecosystem Conference & 3rd Commercial Innovation Partner ConferenceHeld in Wuxi. The conference is themed“Boundless · Co-Creation”as the theme, combining online and offline formats, it brought together over 500 innovative enterprises, more than 800 leading figures from government, industry, academia, research, healthcare, and investment sectors, and 50 top-tier investment institutions.

In addition to the main summit, the conference featured parallel sessions including one-on-one meetings between investment institutions and enterprises, sub-forums on innovation park empowerment and investment & financing, the Digital Health New Ecosystem Summit, and the Mobile Screening Ecosystem Conference. Attendees engaged in discussions on topics such as whole-disease-course management solutions across various therapeutic areas, AstraZeneca’s innovation strategies, new models of cross-industry collaboration, and the emerging digital health ecosystem.

Since 2018, AstraZeneca has consistently held its Commercial Innovation Partner Conference annually, with the current edition marking the third such event. What new insights and directions has the third Commercial Innovation Partner Conference brought to AstraZeneca’s innovation journey? Amid the continuous upgrading of its innovation strategy, how will AstraZeneca collaborate with cross-industry partners to jointly build and refine a closed-loop innovative healthcare ecosystem?

Innovation is the driving force behind corporate development and a key reason why AstraZeneca has remained among the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies for many years. Expanding its business scope and pursuing cross-industry collaborations have become the focal points of AstraZeneca’s innovation strategy in China.AstraZeneca’s proposal to implement an innovation strategy and build an innovative healthcare ecosystem is grounded in its profound insights derived from 27 years of deep roots in the Chinese market.

Wang Lei, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of International Business and China, told VCBeat: “The needs of Chinese patients are no longer limited to high-quality medicines; there is a growing demand for comprehensive disease management solutions that cover all aspects, including education, screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and rehabilitation.”

Therefore, AstraZeneca conceived the idea of building an innovative healthcare ecosystem.“AstraZeneca’s innovation extends beyond pharmaceuticals, encompassing the entire disease diagnosis and treatment process. By integrating upstream and downstream resources and leveraging supply chain advantages, we utilize emerging technologies to provide integrated diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, achieving comprehensive disease management and ensuring that innovative outcomes benefit more patients.”Wang Lei also stated, “From AstraZeneca’s perspective, building an ecosystem can help the company transition from a traditional pharmaceutical enterprise to an innovation-driven platform-based enterprise, thereby identifying new sources of revenue growth.”

AstraZeneca firmly believes that the construction of an innovative healthcare ecosystem cannot be achieved without the support of its partners,Since 2018, the company has held the Business Innovation Partners Conference annually, bringing together innovative forces from various sectors to empower the innovative healthcare ecosystem and jointly explore the path of smart healthcare development.Meanwhile, the conference also provided a platform for AstraZeneca and its partners to exchange insights, reviewing the remarkable achievements in entrepreneurship and innovation while jointly exploring new opportunities and challenges in the current healthcare industry.

By mobilizing resources across government, industry, academia, research, and healthcare sectors, AstraZeneca has partnered with more than 200 collaborators from various fields to jointly launch a series of whole-disease-management solutions in China, including the Chest Pain Center, the National Standardized Metabolic Disease Management Center, the Gastrointestinal Tumor Prevention and Treatment Center, the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Intelligent Nebulization Center, the Integrated Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Center, the Integrated Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Center, and Smart Communities. Currently,14 integrated diagnosis and treatment whole-course management solutions have been implemented in over 4,800 hospitals across China.

It is important to emphasize that, in addition to partners, the five regional headquarters are also key to promoting AstraZeneca’s innovative strategic layout across China. At the 2019 China International Import Expo, AstraZeneca announced the establishment of five regional headquarters in Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Chengdu, with Shanghai as the center.Build a regional center of excellence with distinctive features and extend the ecosystem model of the Life Science Innovation Park, driving the nationwide implementation of innovative solutions across China, and separately introduce global innovative drugs and treatment regimens for diseases such as cancer, hyperkalemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

China has become a key innovation hub for AstraZeneca. Wang Lei shared with VCBeat the timeline of AstraZeneca’s efforts to build an innovative healthcare ecosystem in China:

In 2015, AstraZeneca proposed a business innovation concept,Joining forces with cross-industry partners to address the unmet medical and healthcare needs of Chinese patients, creating comprehensive disease management solutions.

In 2017, the China Health IoT Innovation Center was jointly established with the Wuxi Municipal People's Government, marking the official implementation of AstraZeneca's commercial innovation vision.Over the following three years, 14 integrated diagnosis-and-treatment whole-course management programs were successfully implemented in more than 4,800 hospitals across China and expanded globally.

Also in 2017, AstraZeneca and SDIC Innovation established a joint venture, Dizal Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., to accelerate the local research and development of innovative drugs in China and promote drug accessibility.

In 2019,AstraZeneca Upgrades Its Innovation Strategy,Co-built in collaboration with the Wuxi Municipal GovernmentWuxi International Life Science Innovation ParkLeveraging global network resources both domestically and internationally, strong government policy support, and AstraZeneca’s first-class commercialization platform, the park is committed to becoming the preferred hub for life sciences innovation enterprises from home and abroad to develop in the Chinese market and connect with the global market. The park commenced operations in April 2020 and currently hosts one sister park, four strategic partners, and 17 innovative enterprises from both domestic and overseas markets.

The announcement of the establishment of a global healthcare industry fund is another significant manifestation of the further upgrade and extension of AstraZeneca’s innovation strategy. At the 2019 China International Import Expo,AstraZeneca Announces Joint Establishment of Global Healthcare Industry Fund with CICC Capital, Further Deepening Innovation StrategyThis fund aims to leverage AstraZeneca’s deep-rooted resources in the healthcare sector and CICC Capital’s expertise in investment management and capital operations to jointly establish a specialized fund focused on the healthcare industry. The initiative seeks to accelerate the optimization and integration of China’s medical resources, expand the introduction of overseas innovations and the incubation of domestic innovations, and promote the global benefit of Chinese innovations.

Reviewing the timeline of AstraZeneca’s establishment of an innovative healthcare ecosystem, it is evident that AstraZeneca’s journey in building this ecosystem has undergone“Pilot Implementation – Formal Launch – Upgrade – Further Upgrade”process. To date, AstraZeneca’s innovation strategy is no longer confined to business-level innovation, but aims to“Integration of Industry and Finance”...innovative model further improves the closed-loop of the innovative healthcare ecosystem.

The Holding of the 3rd Business Innovation Partner Conference Marks AstraZeneca’s Continued Deepening of Its Innovation Strategic Layout.

At the conference, AstraZeneca signed four major strategic partnerships, namely:Wuxi Bio-pharmaceutical Industry Highland Strategic Cooperation Project, AstraZeneca-Yuwell Medical Strategic Cooperation Project, AstraZeneca-DXY.cn Strategic Cooperation Project, and AstraZeneca-Ascentage Pharma Strategic Cooperation Project. From these four strategic cooperation projects, we may gain a glimpse into AstraZeneca’s current business priorities and future strategic direction.

At this conference, the Wuxi Municipal People's Government signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation with AstraZeneca, Tigermed, CICC, and Yuwell Group. The parties will jointly build an internationally leading-levelBiopharmaceutical and Healthcare Industry Conference, accelerate the enhancement of Wuxi's international influence in the biopharmaceutical industry; jointly buildWuxi Modern Biopharmaceutical Industry Think Tank, providing decision-making consultation and professional support for industrial development;Collaboratively enhance the medical standards and industrial innovation capabilities in Wuxi,Help Wuxi become an innovation hub for the biopharmaceutical industry within the Yangtze River Delta regional integration development strategy;Accelerate the Improvement of the Investment and Financing System for the Biopharmaceutical Industry, to facilitate the establishment of various biopharmaceutical industry funds in Wuxi.

Wuxi Municipal Government Signs Strategic Cooperation Memorandum on Biopharmaceutical Industry with AstraZeneca, Tigermed, CICC, and Yuwell Group

Subsequently,“Wuxi Center of the CEIBS Alumni Healthcare Industry Association”The initiative was also officially unveiled at the conference, aiming to introduce high-end industry think tanks to Wuxi through collaboration with the government, effectively promote the convergence of innovative talent, high-quality enterprises, and industrial resources in Wuxi, help cultivate Wuxi’s industrial ecosystem, and support the high-quality development of Wuxi’s modern life sciences industry.

CEIBS Alumni Healthcare Industry Association Wuxi Center Officially Unveiled

Yuwell Medical possesses R&D advantages in the field of medical devices related to the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and oncology. Following the establishment of a strategic partnership,Both parties can strengthen cooperation in product areas such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators with nebulization functions, emergency treatment for myocardial infarction, and B-mode ultrasound.Help AstraZeneca develop more comprehensive “patient-centric” integrated diagnosis and treatment solutions in relevant fields.

AstraZeneca Signs Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding with Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co., Ltd. to Jointly Explore Sustainable, Full-Course Management Business Models in Respiratory, Cardiovascular, and Oncology Fields

Dingxiang Yuan boasts extensive experience in operating physician platforms, enabling it to help AstraZeneca enhance the operational quality of its proprietary digital physician platform and build a more professional, high-quality digital platform that is better received by physicians in China. Meanwhile, through Dingxiang Yuan’s innovative business channels, AstraZeneca will provide Chinese physicians with professional product information and academic education, thereby improving their professional competencies and academic standards.

AstraZeneca and DXY Reach Strategic Partnership to Jointly Explore Science Popularization Education and Knowledge-Sharing Services in the Field of Common Diseases

In the strategic collaboration between AstraZeneca and Ascentage Pharma, both parties will jointly develop combination therapies for hematologic malignancies, exploring their clinical application in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

The four signed projects reflect AstraZeneca’s upcoming strategic priorities for innovation: first, to continue enhancing its integrated diagnosis and treatment business; second, to strengthen the integration of industry and finance by establishing investment and financing systems and hosting industry summits, thereby further improving the life science ecosystem in Wuxi.

Furthermore, at the innovation sub-forums across various therapeutic areas, AstraZeneca reached multiple collaborations with numerous partners on innovative models including digital health, mobile screening, early cancer screening and diagnosis, primary care, innovative pharmaceutical commercial services, smart full-course blood pressure management, the Gastrointestinal Industry Alliance, smart management of medical consortia, and healthcare quality. Following this round of signings, AstraZeneca’s partner network has further expanded. The company will continue to upgrade its innovation strategy to build an innovative healthcare ecosystem.

Wang Lei stated, “AstraZeneca will continue to forge strong partnerships with outstanding cross-industry collaborators both in China and abroad, leveraging our respective strengths to create innovative cooperation models. Together, we aim to build an open and collaborative ecosystem for medical innovation, thereby facilitating the upgrading of the local healthcare industry. Furthermore, we are committed to accelerating the growth of like-minded innovative enterprises that share our vision for innovation. By pooling global expertise, we will help these innovators expand into the Chinese market and connect with the world, ultimately ensuring that innovations originating in China benefit not only the vast patient population in China but also patients worldwide.”