Fosun Pharma Appoints Former Pfizer Executive as Senior VP and Establishes Precision Medicine Business Unit

On February 11, Fosun Pharmaceutical (600196.SH) announced that, upon nomination by the President, it had agreed to appoint Hequn Yin as Senior Vice President of the Company, with a term commencing on February 11, 2019, and expiring upon the conclusion of the current Board of Directors’ term.

A reporter from Lanjing Business and Economics News discovered, based on announcements disclosed by Fosun Pharmaceutical, that Hequn Yin had previously held key positions at international pharmaceutical giants such as Roche, Novartis, and Pfizer, accumulating extensive professional experience and R&D expertise.

According to available records, Hequn Yin served as a Research and Development Scientist at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. from April 1997 to May 1998; from May 1998 to November 2017, he successively held the positions of Research and Development Scientist, Director, Senior Director, and Executive Director at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; from November 2017 to February 2019, he worked at Pfizer Inc. as Vice President of Research and Development.

Notably, the announcement further stated that, to further strengthen internal integration and resource consolidation, and to accelerate the pace of organic growth and inorganic expansion, the Company’s Board of Directors has approved the establishment of a new “Precision Medicine Industry Division,” which will be responsible for identifying and introducing precision medicine technologies (products) and services.

In March 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology convened the first national expert meeting on precision medicine strategy, proposing China’s Precision Medicine Plan. The meeting stated that by 2030, China would invest RMB 60 billion in the field of precision medicine, including RMB 20 billion from central fiscal expenditures and RMB 40 billion in matching funds from enterprises and local governments.

According to reports, precision medicine utilizes omics technologies—such as genomics and proteomics—alongside cutting-edge medical techniques to analyze, identify, validate, and apply biomarkers in large population cohorts and specific disease types. This approach enables the precise identification of disease etiologies and therapeutic targets, as well as the accurate classification of different disease states and processes. Ultimately, it aims to achieve individualized, precise treatment for diseases and specific patients, thereby enhancing the efficacy of disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

In fact, under the new circumstances, major pharmaceutical companies are also accelerating their strategic layout in precision medicine. Chen Qiyu, Chairman of Fosun Pharmaceutical, previously stated in public that precision medicine is an important development direction for the future big health industry. By leveraging globally leading R&D capabilities, the company aims to comprehensively innovate drug development, treatment methods, and health services, thereby creating a closed-loop system for precision medicine.

In recent years, Fosun Pharmaceutical has closely aligned with the broader trends of precision medicine and the internet, integrating artificial intelligence to focus its R&D and innovation efforts on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This strategy aims to achieve high performance growth under its development model of “organic growth, inorganic expansion, and integrated development.” (Lanjing Industry & Economics, Wu Rui, wurui@lanjinger.com)