Takeda Showcases Innovation at China's First CIIE and Launches Strategic Partnership with Ali Health to Empower Healthcare Industry

　　【China Pharmaceutical Network Corporate News] On November 5, the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened today at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). As a globally leading pharmaceutical company, Takeda made its appearance at this grand event with a 300-square-meter exhibition booth. Leveraging smart technology, the booth fully showcased the globalization journey of an innovative pharmaceutical enterprise with a 237-year history, highlighting Takeda’s position as a next-generation, R&D-driven leading biopharmaceutical company and its leadership in core therapeutic areas including oncology, gastroenterology, and neuroscience.
 

Coinciding with the opening of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Shan Guohong, President of Takeda Greater China, and Shen Difan, CEO of AliHealth, jointly announced a strategic partnership between Takeda China and AliHealth. Upholding the philosophy of “patients first,” both parties will work together to promote the construction and development of stroke centers in China.
 

　Embracing the Internet: Partnering with AliHealth to Fulfill the “Patients First” Commitment
 

In recent years, the Chinese government has supported and encouraged the innovative “Internet + Healthcare” model. Takeda has clearly recognized this trend, actively embracing it and seizing various opportunities to pursue innovation and collaboration. At the opening of this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE), Shan Guohong, President of Takeda Greater China, and Shen Difan, CEO of AliHealth, jointly announced the launch of a strategic partnership with medical experts and government agencies, aimed at “advancing the treatment and management of stroke.”
 

According to World Health Organization surveys, China ranks first globally in stroke incidence. Results from the country’s third national survey on causes of death indicate that stroke has become the leading cause of death in China. Monitoring data from the past two decades show that annual stroke-related deaths exceed 2 million, with an annual growth rate of 8.7%. In addition to high mortality, stroke is characterized by high rates of disability and recurrence, posing a serious threat to citizens’ lives and quality of life, while imposing substantial economic burdens on families and society. Currently, only 3.3% of patients recognize the need for immediate medical attention upon stroke onset; 9.2% of patients are transported to hospitals via the emergency number 120; and approximately 20% of hospitals can maintain a door-to-needle time (DNT)—defined as the interval from hospital arrival to initiation of intravenous thrombolysis—for acute stroke patients within 60 minutes.
 

Through this collaboration, AliHealth will leverage its big data and artificial intelligence R&D capabilities, complemented by Takeda’s expert resources and innovative pharmaceutical technologies in the healthcare sector, to jointly explore the establishment of stroke centers. This initiative aims to advance the development of the golden-hour emergency treatment system for stroke in China, striving to ensure that every stroke patient receives effective care within the critical therapeutic window. Meanwhile, both parties will explore the use of internet-based platforms to further strengthen public education on stroke prevention and management, thereby enhancing public awareness of preventive measures and timely medical consultation.
 

Shan Guohong, President of Takeda China, emphasized: “Takeda is a global pharmaceutical company driven by innovation. Our innovation extends beyond drug R&D. We are committed to addressing the most urgent unmet needs in therapeutic areas, leveraging internet-based health big data, building a patient-value-oriented innovation model, and improving the accessibility of innovative medicines for patients in China. These have always been our key focus areas. We hope that Takeda and AliHealth will leverage their respective resource advantages in the pharmaceutical/healthcare and internet sectors to jointly fulfill our ‘patients first’ commitment.”
 

“Empowering healthcare with big data and transforming health through the internet” is the vision of AliHealth, as well as its responsibility as an internet technology company. Commenting on this strategic partnership, Shen Difan, CEO of AliHealth, stated, “We hope to work with Takeda to explore how internet-based solutions can effectively support stroke treatment and management, thereby promoting a substantial improvement in China’s stroke care capabilities.”
 

　　Increase R&D Investment in China to Empower the Chinese Health Industry
 

Since entering China in 1994, Takeda has closely monitored the country’s technological revolution and breakthroughs in industrial transformation. As China has become the world’s second-largest economy, a series of reforms in drug review and approval policies within the Chinese pharmaceutical industry have further motivated Takeda to actively adjust its strategy in the Chinese market. In 2018, Takeda increased its investment in China by more than US$100 million to support “synchronous new drug development” aligned with global standards, thereby accelerating the launch of Takeda’s innovative products in China. Over the next five years, Takeda plans to launch more than seven innovative drugs in China, covering over ten indications across the therapeutic areas of gastroenterology, neuroscience, and oncology. “Takeda’s five-year plan aims to ensure that the number of new products launched in China exceeds that in any other country worldwide. Throughout our globalization efforts, the Chinese market remains at the core of Takeda’s global development strategy,” said Shan Guohong, President of Takeda Greater China.
 

At Takeda’s booth during the inaugural China International Import Expo (CIIE), attendees gained in-depth insights into Takeda’s high-quality products already launched in China, as well as multiple innovative therapies slated for imminent entry into the Chinese market. Making their CIIE debut, these yet-to-be-launched innovations spanned several therapeutic areas, including Hodgkin lymphoma, erosive esophagitis, osteosarcoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease, showcasing Takeda’s recent breakthroughs in research and development to professional audiences. Notably, vedolizumab, among the new products exhibited, has been included in the list of 48 urgently needed overseas-approved new drugs released by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration, paving the way for accelerated approval and earlier access for patients in China. Shan Guohong stated, “As the only global leading pharmaceutical company rooted in Asia and dedicated to innovative drug R&D, we aim to leverage the CIIE platform to demonstrate Takeda’s commitment to innovation, our track record of long-term development in China, and our enduring promise to Chinese patients.”
 

　　Takeda-Style Innovation: Global Footprint
 

With its left hand strategizing for the internet and its right hand strategizing for globalization, Takeda has adhered since its founding in 1781 to a corporate philosophy centered on patients, grounded in quality, and driven by innovation. Professor Yu Mingyang, Dean of the China Enterprise Development Research Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, shared his insights at the conference under the theme “Asian Roots Beneath the Global Canopy: Implications of Takeda’s Success for Chinese Pharmaceutical Companies.” He gave full affirmation to Takeda’s 237-year journey of corporate development, pointing out that Takeda’s grand strategic vision, sound management systems and frameworks, and global layout have helped it stand out among numerous Asian manufacturing enterprises. In particular, its global strategic thinking is worthy of emulation. Since expanding into overseas markets beyond Japan in 1962, Takeda has continuously reformed its business operating model through measures such as cross-border drug development collaborations and establishing overseas subsidiaries. Its globalization process has extended to the United States, Europe, and emerging markets, gradually transforming from an Asian pharmaceutical company into a global biopharmaceutical enterprise covering more than 70 countries worldwide. For today’s Takeda, a global perspective helps formulate more insightful solutions and realize its vision of becoming an industry leader.
 

When discussing Takeda’s global strategy, Guohong Shan stated, “Through the acquisitions of multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Millennium and Nycomed, Takeda has continuously enhanced its ‘innovation capabilities’ and expanded its R&D pipeline. From a long-term development perspective, we place greater emphasis on expanding our partner network. Currently, Takeda has more than 180 strategic partners, such as its collaborations with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University and Seattle Genetics, the partnership between Takeda Hong Kong and Boao Evergrande International Hospital, and the cooperation between Takeda China and AliHealth. Among these, over 50 partnerships were established in 2017.”
 

Looking ahead, Takeda will continue to advance its global innovation initiatives. As one of Takeda’s most important markets, China holds a pivotal position in the company’s global strategy. Takeda firmly believes that actively showcasing its corporate value and innovative pharmaceutical technologies on an open, large-scale platform such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) enables greater public awareness and understanding of the company. This represents the greatest significance of Takeda’s participation in this year’s CIIE.
 

It is reported that Takeda is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to research and development, providing science-based innovative medicines to safeguard the health of patients worldwide. Takeda focuses on research in therapeutic areas such as oncology, gastroenterology, and neuroscience, while also pursuing multiple late-stage development programs in cardiovascular diseases and vaccines. Through internal R&D and external collaborations, Takeda remains at the forefront of innovation. The company employs more than 30,000 people across over 70 countries. Takeda entered the Chinese market in 1994 and currently has nearly 1,700 employees in China. Its China headquarters is located in Shanghai, with major business centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou, and offices established in key cities nationwide. As China’s economy grows and healthcare demands continue to rise, China has become one of Takeda’s most important emerging markets. By deepening its roots in China, Takeda aims to stay closer to Chinese patients and the professional healthcare market, thereby better meeting the needs of more patients in China.
 

AliHealth is the flagship platform of Alibaba Group’s “Double H” strategy (Health and Happiness) in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, and one of the companies invested in and controlled by Alibaba Group. Leveraging Alibaba Group’s strengths in e-commerce, internet finance, big data, and cloud computing, AliHealth adopts a user-centric approach to provide comprehensive internet-based solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, aiming to achieve cross-regional shared allocation of existing societal pharmaceutical resources and significantly improve the efficiency of medical consultations and medication purchases. Currently, AliHealth’s business operations are primarily focused on areas such as pharmaceutical e-commerce, internet healthcare, consumer healthcare, and smart healthcare.
 

Author: Ma Aiping