Novartis and Tencent Launch China's First AI-Powered Heart Failure Management Platform at CIIE 2019
Novartis
Drug Development and Manufacturing
On July 15, 2019, the State Council issued the "Opinions on Implementing the Healthy China Action," which emphasized the importance of implementing actions for the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases. Fully implementing standardized disease management and effectively reducing cardiovascular disease mortality have become key priorities in national healthcare reform.
Heart failure represents the terminal stage of all cardiovascular diseases, with hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and valvular heart disease being major risk factors. Currently, the prevalence of heart failure in China is estimated to have reached 1.3%, affecting at least 10 million patients. However, the current state of disease management for heart failure patients is far from optimistic: approximately 50% of patients die within five years of diagnosis, resulting in a survival rate lower than that of many types of cancer. Furthermore, recurrent hospitalizations due to heart failure impose a substantial economic burden on patients, their families, and society. Data indicate that patients in China are hospitalized an average of 2.4 times per year, with approximately 69% experiencing readmission within one year.
Professor Ma Changsheng, Director of the Heart Center at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, pointed out: “Heart failure is a severe, progressive chronic disease. Currently, disease management in China is generally suboptimal, with persistently high hospitalization and mortality rates. However, evidence from domestic and international cases indicates that long-term monitoring of patients’ health status and the standardization of heart failure management systems can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. It is imperative to establish a convenient, comprehensive care model for chronic heart failure, which will undoubtedly help patients achieve better prognoses.”
However, real-world insights into patients with heart failure reveal widespread challenges in disease management, including low disease awareness, fragmented and unreliable sources of health information, non-standardized treatment and disease monitoring, and inconvenience in follow-up visits and medication procurement. There is an urgent need for a systematic, professional, integrated platform to support these patients in long-term disease management.
China’s First AI-Powered Heart Failure Disease Management Platform—“Hu Xin Xiao Ai”—Is Launched. Built on insights into the real needs of patients and their families, the platform leverages a WeChat Mini Program as its carrier and harnesses the advantages of artificial intelligence to provide interactive features such as voice and image recognition, assisting patients and their families in managing heart failure health information more conveniently and accurately. The core functionalities of Hu Xin Xiao Ai primarily include daily indicator monitoring, health status assessment, and personalized information services. The lightweight nature of the WeChat Mini Program further enables effortless, anytime, anywhere disease management.
Dr. Fan Wei, Dean of the Tencent Medical AI Research Institute and Head of the Tencent Medical AI Laboratory, stated: “‘HeartCare Xiao Ai’ is a novel disease management model developed through a deep understanding of the pain points faced by heart failure patients. By leveraging artificial intelligence technology, it achieves single-platform, multi-functional coverage, providing patients with a more convenient, continuous, and comprehensive self-management experience, while also alleviating the heavy burden associated with frequent hospital readmissions.”
Ms. Zhang Ying, President of Novartis China, emphasized, “As a global leading pharmaceutical company, Novartis is committed to benefiting a broad patient population through transformative innovative medicines and services, while actively driving innovation in big data and digital applications. We are delighted to have applied Novartis’s profound understanding of heart failure and our patient insights to the development of this Tencent product, marking the launch of a disease management solution truly developed based on patient needs. Looking ahead, we will collaborate to explore expanding this model to other chronic diseases, thereby benefiting more patients in China.”
Mr. Ding Ke, Vice President of Tencent, stated, “As a digital assistant, Tencent’s mission is to enhance the quality of human life through internet services. The original intent behind integrating AI with healthcare is to leverage technological means to address health issues, which aligns with Tencent’s vision and mission of ‘Tech for Good.’ The launch of this digital intelligent disease management platform for heart failure represents a significant case in our deepened collaboration with Novartis to explore the application of artificial intelligence in chronic disease management. We will continue to strive towards further opening up our technology and collaborative resources, connecting the innovation chain in AI-driven healthcare, and building an open and win-win ecosystem.”
It is reported that “Hu Xin Xiao Ai,” unveiled at this China International Import Expo, is a preliminary beta version and has not yet been officially launched for patient registration and use. Following the release of the beta version, each functional module will be gradually refined based on patient feedback to better assist patients in disease management. The full version of “Hu Xin Xiao Ai” is scheduled to complete all development in the first half of 2020 and will be officially launched to serve the broad population of heart failure patients.