2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference Grandly Opens in Hainan, Accelerating the Construction of a New Digital Health Paradigm
To further advance the development of digital therapeutics, establish a nationally leading highland for digital health innovation, and accelerate the construction of a higher-level International Health Island, on August 30, 2024, hosted by Beijing Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., organized by Chongqing Dongmaicheng Technology Co., Ltd. and Hainan Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., in strategic cooperation with Hainan Eco-Software Park Group Co., Ltd. and Beijing Shuimu Jinsheng Medical Technology Service Co., Ltd., and jointly organized by the Health Industry Branch of the Chinese Health Economics Association, the Young Health Economics Committee of the Chinese Health Economics Association, Hainan Provincial People's Hospital, Hainan Provincial Eye Hospital, Hainan Provincial Women and Children's Medical Center, Hainan Provincial Anning Hospital, and Haikou Orthopedic and Diabetes Hospital as parallel forumsThe 2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference Grandly Opens in Haikou, Hainan.
Centered on the core theme “Digital Gravity,” this conference aims to bring together innovative technologies and emerging trends in ecosystem collaboration within the field of digital health from a global perspective. As an international conference integrating frontier developments in global digital therapeutics, policy interpretation, academic exchange, industry collaboration, and innovation showcases, it has attracted numerous attendees, including academicians and experts from home and abroad, representatives from industry sectors, innovative enterprises, member units of the Hainan Provincial Digital Therapeutics Industry Task Force, and medical institutions. Together, they discussed, co-developed, and shared insights on the cutting-edge trends and collaborative opportunities in the fields of global digital therapeutics and digital health.
Xie Jing, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Hainan Province
Xie Jing, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Hainan Province, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.In his address, Vice Governor Xie Jing stated that Hainan Province has thoroughly studied and implemented the General Secretary’s important expositions on developing the digital economy, making strategic deployments to strengthen “new quality productive forces” through digitalization. As a component of new quality productive forces, digital health—including digital therapeutics—will serve as a crucial support for advancing healthcare and act as a significant driving force toward achieving the goal of building a “Healthy China” by 2035. Hainan Province is actively promoting the integrated development of healthcare services and the health industry, designating the health sector as a key priority for the Free Trade Port and placing great emphasis on the growth of the digital health industry. Hainan aims to collaborate with all stakeholders to accelerate the development of the digital therapeutics industry, explore new paradigms in healthcare, expedite the construction of a smart health system within the Free Trade Port, and jointly make positive contributions to building a global community of health for all.
As a global innovation hub for digital therapeutics, Hainan has attracted widespread attention. Whether by being the first to include digital therapeutics in provincial-level planning, exploring pilot applications of digital therapeutics, or launching the first full-lifecycle support policy for the digital therapeutics industry in October 2022, titled “Several Measures of Hainan Province to Accelerate the Development of the Digital Therapeutics Industry,” Hainan has demonstrated its determination and boldness in developing this sector.
Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, Zhang Guangpeng
At the 2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference,Zhang Guangpeng, Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Health CommissionA report was delivered on the achievements and progress of digital therapeutics (DTx) in Hainan Province, providing a phased summary of the exploratory outcomes over the past few years. He pointed out that in 2022, Hainan Province introduced innovative measures to support and advance the development of the DTx industry. These measures encompassed six key areas: establishing a nationally leading clinical research and demonstration base for DTx; accelerating the registration and approval of DTx products; actively promoting the application of DTx products; encouraging exploration of diverse payment models; strengthening DTx publicity and industrial cluster development; and standardizing development along with other safeguards. To date,Hainan Province’s Digital Therapeutics Industry Has Achieved Phase-Based Results:
For example, the project approval was announced20 Digital Therapeutics Clinical Trial Centers, covering key areas such as chronic disease management, rehabilitation, oncology, sleep medicine, orthopedics, psychiatric, behavioral and cognitive disorders, ophthalmology, and nutrition; promoting the widespread application or pilot use of a batch of digital therapeutic products across various digital therapy clinical trial centers; as of now,10 Digital Therapeutics Products Passed Through the Priority Review ChannelSubmit a medical device registration application,Five Digital Therapeutics Products Regulated as Class II Medical DevicesObtain the Medical Device Registration Certificate; Hainan Province has further promoted this initiative at the level of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Government.“The Pilot Program of Digital Therapeutics for Cognitive Rehabilitation in the Elderly” was included in the 2023 Practical Projects for the People, and “Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Children Aged 0–6 with Autism Spectrum Disorder” was included in the 2024 Provincial Livelihood Practical Projects, thereby promoting the implementation of digital therapeutic interventions for diabetes., andCarried out the application and review work for the Digital Therapeutics Diagnosis and Treatment Center., to accelerate the practical application and implementation of digital therapeutics products. Furthermore, Hainan Province has leveraged its key industrial parks within the Free Trade Port to facilitate industry deployment, attracting a significant number of innovative digital therapeutics enterprises to develop in Hainan.
Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, Zhang Yuhui
Led by the digital therapeutics industry, Hainan has leveraged its foundational strengths in comprehensive health data governance, the integrated “Three-Medical” network (linking healthcare, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals), and 5G-enabled primary care capacity building to strategically advance its future digital health agenda. At the Digital Therapeutics Conference,Zhang Yuhui, Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Health CommissionProvided an overview of the “Three-Year Action Plan for Tackling Key Challenges to Promote High-Quality Development of Hainan Province’s Digital Health System and Digital Health Economy (2024–2026).” Building upon the previously implemented advantageous policies that have supported the development of digital health,Hainan Province will further strengthen the guidance of innovative application scenarios and support from its policy framework, comprehensively advance the coordinated high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s digital health service system and digital health economy, establish a nationally leading hub for digital health innovation, and accelerate the construction of a higher-level International Health Island through new quality productive forces.By the end of 2026, a nationwide, comprehensive, full-cycle digital health system is expected to be fundamentally established. Innovative applications will flourish across areas such as public benefit, medical support, governance assistance, and industry development. Support platforms for the orderly opening of health and medical data elements and their innovative transformation will operate effectively. The digital health industry will achieve clustering, residents’ health levels will rise rapidly, and the revenue scale of digital health innovation enterprises across the province will double.
Policy Measures Outline the Vision and Path for Hainan’s Next-Phase Digital Health Development: First, 15 major innovative scenarios in health and wellness will be opened up in the areas of public benefit, medical assistance, government support, and industry development.Provide innovation institutions and enterprises with opportunity spaces for R&D, validation, application, and the formation of a closed-loop ecosystem encompassing commercialization and policy.; second, building on the traction of innovative scenarios, by establishing a leading digital health standard system and creating a digital health industry-academia-research-application technological innovation alliance, etc.,Establish a number of key digital health sub-sector industrial clusters;Third, accelerate the development of new digital health infrastructure, open platforms for healthcare data elements, and public service platforms.Strengthening Technical Support for the Development of Digital Health; Fourth,Innovative Digital Health Policy Support SystemBy formulating open and inclusive policies for the innovative use of health and medical data elements, and by establishing robust systems for data circulation and security assurance, strong policy support is provided for the development of digital health. Finally, Zhang Yuhui called on all parties to work together to pioneer new paradigms of digital health services in the Hainan Free Trade Port that can revolutionarily enhance human health, thereby accelerating the full arrival of the global digital health era.
Entering a New Phase of Digital Health Development, Bolstered by the Strength Derived from the Agglomeration of Hainan’s Digital Health Industry. The conference saw the successful holding of multiple events and ceremonies, including the signing of strategic cooperation agreements for digital health companies establishing operations in Hainan, the launch of the Exchange Program for Regional Practice Cases of China’s Digital Healthcare, the unveiling of the Public Service Platform for the Digital Health Industry, the “Global Launch and Awards Ceremony for Innovative Cases of New Quality Productive Forces in Digital Health,” the “Hainan–Global Digital Therapeutics Innovation Island: Exhibition of Achievements in New Scenarios,” and the “Premiere Showcase of Innovative Technologies and Products in Digital Health.”All of which underscore how Hainan, the global innovation hub for digital therapeutics, is driving high-quality development in the digital health industry through industrial clustering.
InSigning Ceremony for the Strategic Cooperation Agreement on the Establishment of Digital Health Enterprises in HainanAmong them, Tencent Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Ping An Health Internet Company Limited, Baidu Health (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., Suzhou Yiduoyun Health Co., Ltd., Hainan Airdoc Health Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Asuo Aba Technology (Hainan) Co., Ltd., Twelve Millimeters Health Technology (Hainan) Co., Ltd., Haihu Health (Shandong) Group Co., Ltd., Chengdu Shangyi Future Medical Technology Co., Ltd., and Yizhun Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., among other enterprises, are optimistic about the development prospects of Hainan’s digital therapeutics industry, as well as the policy and platform advantages offered by the Hainan Eco-Software Park. These companies have jointly signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hainan Eco-Software Park Group Co., Ltd. to establish their digital health operations in Hainan. Leveraging the park’s aggregated advantages in the medical and healthcare industrial chain and its “scenario + fund + policy” trinity model for industry cultivation, the parties will enhance industrial synergy, accelerate development, and jointly build a digital health industrial cluster.
To further promote the development of digital healthcare and strengthen inter-regional exchanges and cooperation, the Young Health Economics Committee of the Chinese Society of Health Economics, the Global Health Economics Branch of the Chinese Society of Health Economics, and VCBeat jointly organize“Exchange Program for Regional Practice Cases of Digital Healthcare in China”, aiming to bring together provinces and cities across China that have achieved remarkable results in the field of digital healthcare. Through regional forums, exchange symposia, and city visits, it shares successful experiences and innovative practices to stimulate innovation vitality and promote the development of the healthcare service system toward higher quality, greater efficiency, enhanced equity, and improved sustainability.
The Digital Health Industry Public Service Platform aims to support the efficient development of the digital health industry.Hainan Province plans to establish a foundational platform for new quality productive forces in digital health by building platforms for the open application of pharmaceutical and health data, digital clinical research, and innovative translation; strengthening carriers such as super factories for digital therapeutics; and promoting intelligent and decentralized clinical trials. It will accelerate the layout of digital health proof-of-concept centers, build a critical bridge for translating scientific and technological achievements from the laboratory to pilot-scale production, and provide proof-of-concept services including technology assessment, feasibility analysis, small-batch trial production, and commercial evaluation, thereby driving digital health services toward greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and inclusiveness.
“Launch Event and Award Ceremony for Innovative Cases of New Quality Productive Forces in Global Digital Health” and “Debut Exhibition of Innovative Digital Health Technologies and Products” showcased the innovative development trends in the global digital health sector to the outside world, further promoting innovative practices while enhancing the vitality of Hainan’s digital therapeutics industry.
andA compelling testament to Hainan Province’s systematic efforts to implement digital therapeutics is the “Hainan – Global Digital Therapeutics Innovation Island: New Scenario Achievements Exhibition.”The exhibition showcases, through scenario-based demonstrations, the systematic innovation and application of digital therapeutics products in Hainan Province in recent years across settings such as hospitals, communities, and homes.
In hospital settings, Hainan Province is currently conducting the application and review process for Digital Therapeutics Diagnosis and Treatment Centers, while accelerating the adoption of digital therapeutics.For instance, Hainan Province has included the digital therapeutics intervention project for children aged 0–6 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in its provincial-level livelihood initiatives, providing digital therapeutics intervention services free of charge. As of August 8 this year, 1,117 individuals had participated across the province, accumulating 59,460 intervention training sessions, 6,441,724 training trials, and a total training duration of 1,961,980 minutes (with each session lasting 30 minutes). To date, children undergoing training have achieved 982,687 learning objectives and mastered 23,644 skills. Furthermore, digital therapeutics have been introduced into hospital departments including orthopedics and sports medicine, ophthalmology, sleep medicine, weight management centers, and medical oncology, where they are applied in areas such as conservative treatment and postoperative rehabilitation, myopia prevention and control, sleep monitoring, personalized weight loss, and improving quality of life and extending survival.
In community settings, Hainan Province is implementing the “2+3” Health Service Package and launching pilot projects for digital therapeutics for diabetes.For example, as of July 26, 2024, Baoting County had 4,909 diabetic patients under management. The target attainment rates were 29.1% for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), 40.5% for fasting blood glucose, 40.2% for random blood glucose, and 37.9% for blood pressure among diabetic patients. The rate of concurrent attainment of both blood glucose and blood pressure targets was 19.3%. Through digital diabetes management, comprehensive standardized care coverage for patients has been achieved. As of July 25, 2024, the “2+3” Health Service Package project in Lingshui County identified 10,444 confirmed diabetic patients through screening, with 10,297 patients enrolled and managed on the digital therapeutics platform for diabetes, yielding an enrollment rate of 98.6% and achieving near-universal patient coverage and management. Furthermore, digital therapeutics for retinal diagnosis and treatment enable early detection of lesions through large-scale community-based fundus photography screening for diabetic patients, thereby advancing the intervention window.
In home settings, Hainan Province is also vigorously promoting digital therapeutics for chronic disease intervention.such as pilot programs for digital therapeutics in cognitive rehabilitation for the elderly, digital therapeutics for COPD rehabilitation management, and digital therapeutics for home monitoring of neonatal jaundice.
Hainan Province is continuously advancing the implementation of innovative digital therapeutics by exploring hospital-community-home care scenarios, thereby accelerating the high-quality development of the digital health industry.
Digital Therapeutics Are Entering a Critical Development Phase.
Traditional disease intervention methods encompass pharmaceuticals, medical devices, services, and other categories. Among these, services are delivered by physicians based on their professional knowledge and experience, but they face challenges such as variable quality, lack of reproducibility, and limited per-capita efficiency. Digital therapeutics have digitized these services, significantly transforming this landscape. AndThrough the further integration of current AI algorithms, big data, cloud computing, and other technologies, digital therapeutics are undoubtedly poised to deliver superior treatment solutions for patients.
As digital therapeutics emerge and further develop, they have moved beyond the initial stage of proving their “clinical value.” As of October 2023, a total of 85 “digital therapeutic” products in China had obtained medical device registration certificates, covering multiple areas including neurology/psychiatry, vision, rehabilitation, respiratory, and endocrinology. Today, “digital therapeutics” are entering the stage of realizing “commercial value.”
Where Do the Innovative Applications of Digital Therapeutics Lie? How Can We Better Unlock the Commercial Value of Digital Therapeutics and Even the Broader Digital Health Industry to Drive Industrial Transformation? This Undoubtedly Requires Joint Exploration by Practitioners in the Global Digital Health Industry.
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhang Zhiyuan
At the 2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference,Zhang Zhiyuan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the National Center for Stomatology, and Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Oral DiseasesIn his presentation on “AI-Empowered Precision Prevention and Control of Betel Nut-Induced Oral Cancer,” he pointed out that the digital transformation of oral healthcare services remains a long and arduous journey. Iterative development of artificial intelligence models trained on multimodal data can enable precise analysis, prediction, and population screening, thereby facilitating earlier identification and intervention for patients. This process requires collaborative efforts among clinicians, public health experts, and information technology specialists to advance the development of large-scale AI models.
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Jia Weiping
Jia Weiping, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Dean of the Institute for Active Health Strategy and Development at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Director of the National Office for Primary Diabetes Prevention and Control ManagementDelivered a lecture titled “Digital Medicine and Diabetes Management,” highlighting that China is currently facing a substantial healthcare burden from multimorbidity driven by population aging, alongside an explosive rise in chronic diseases. With the widespread adoption of patient-centered care, the healthcare industry is increasingly required to focus on whole-lifecycle disease management for patients. Digital therapeutics can enhance patient management and facilitate disease diagnosis, intervention, and treatment. The current shift toward earlier disease prevention and control in China relies heavily on advances in digital medicine, digital health education and science popularization, and artificial intelligence. Digitalization will further improve the health status of the Chinese population.
The Importance of Digital Therapeutics Is Self-Evident.Jiang Tianjiao, Dean of VCBeat InstituteIn the report “Digital Therapeutics: Report on the New Ecosystem and New Scenarios in 2024,” he pointed out that value creation is the foundation for the development of digital therapeutics and the digital health industry. From a micro perspective, it serves as an important complement to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostic and therapeutic methods; from a macro perspective, it acts as a typical form of new-quality productive forces, significantly empowering healthcare systems, clinical interventions, and industrial development. The realization and acceleration of value in digital therapeutics and the digital health industry are inseparable from the construction of a digital health ecosystem, which will provide empowerment across multiple dimensions, including technological R&D, scenario-based applications, and industrial scale. We are currently at a critical juncture for the development of digital therapeutics and the digital health industry. China’s strategic choices will determine whether it can secure a leading position in the global digital health sector. Government leadership plays a pivotal role, with Hainan Province continuing to lead the nation and witnessing the continuous implementation of high-quality case studies.
Insights into overseas digital therapeutics innovation are equally important.Andy Molnar, CEO of DTAThe publication of “Global Digital Therapeutics Overview” further underscores that digital therapeutics are leading the innovation of the global healthcare industry. In the future, digital health will play an indispensable role in better empowering physicians to manage patients.
No single player can sustain the industry alone. The development of the digital health sector clearly requires collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate the construction of an industrial ecosystem. To betterExploring the Global Integration of Digital Health and Localized Innovation by Overseas Companies in China, and How Digital Therapeutics Empower the Development of the Digital Health Industry in Hainan and Across China, the 2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference featured a roundtable discussion, inviting executives from Sanofi, Takeda China, Bayer Healthcare, Huawei Strategic Research Institute, and other leading companies to share their innovative insights.
Attendees pointed out that integrating technologies such as big data and large language models can better enable personalized patient care and further advance precision medicine. Current areas of exploration by domestic and international companies include accelerating rare disease screening through digitalization, leveraging AI for assisted diagnosis, implementing digital early warning and intervention systems to manage adverse events and extend patients’ Duration of Therapy (DOT), and conducting targeted patient education or recruitment to shorten clinical trial cycles. Participants frequently noted that the digital health sector still faces multiple challenges, including the commercialization of business models, the development of industrial ecosystems, and the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent. Meanwhile, Hainan is accelerating the construction of its health industry ecosystem, thereby creating more favorable conditions for the implementation of digital health solutions.
To better facilitate industry exchanges and collaboration among government, academia, research institutions, enterprises, and investors, the 2024 Digital Therapeutics Conference has established, in addition to the main forum,Sub-forums including the Forum on Digital Diagnosis and Treatment Practices and Innovation in Neurological Diseases, the Forum on Digital Transformation of Chronic Disease Management and Weight Loss Strategies, the Forum on Clinical Applications and Industry Trends in Digital Health and Rehabilitation, and the Forum on Digital Medical Innovation in Ophthalmic Diseases, as well as the Academic Exchange Meeting on Enhancing Primary Healthcare Service Capacity and Reducing the Financial Burden of Chronic Disease Medical Costs, by connecting with government entities, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, renowned experts and scholars, investors, executives from multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as leading domestic healthcare enterprises, CEOs of listed companies, and senior executives from innovative startups, to jointly explore implementation scenarios and further unlock potential markets.
On the path to developing the digital health economy, Hainan, the “Global Digital Therapeutics Innovation Island,” continues to press forward.
On one hand, Hainan is continuously advancing policies that benefit the development of the digital health economy and actively building an innovative ecosystem.
In January 2022, digital therapeutics (DTx) were included in Hainan Province’s provincial-level planning for the first time, ushering in a period of rapid industry development. In October of the same year, the General Office of the People’s Government of Hainan Province issued the *Several Measures to Accelerate the Development of the Digital Therapeutics Industry in Hainan Province*, the first policy document nationwide—and indeed globally—to provide support and safeguards across the entire lifecycle of digital therapeutics. In March 2024, the *Key Tasks for Deepening Healthcare System Reform in Hainan Province in 2024* was released, explicitly promoting the widespread application of smart health technology products, including digital therapeutics, at the primary care level and establishing Hainan as a hub for DTx innovation. In May 2024, the *Notice on Launching the Application and Evaluation Process for Hainan Provincial Digital Therapeutics Diagnosis and Treatment Centers* was issued by the Hainan Provincial Health Commission. By selecting qualified medical institutions to serve as Hainan Provincial Digital Therapeutics Diagnosis and Treatment Centers, this initiative aims to gradually integrate digital therapeutics into routine clinical pathways for disease management and accelerate the sustained and healthy development of the DTx sector.
The Current "Three-Year Action Plan for the High-Quality Development of Hainan Province's Digital Health System and Digital Health Economy (2024-2026)"With the goal of “comprehensively building a digital health system, accelerating the development of the digital economy, establishing a nationally leading highland for digital health innovation, and leveraging new-quality productive forces to expedite the construction of a higher-level International Health Island,” we are translating these objectives into concrete actions. By innovating application scenarios in areas such as public benefit, medical support, governmental assistance, and industry promotion, we aim to foster industrial agglomeration. Furthermore, through technical support platforms like the Digital Health Industry Public Service Platform, along with supportive policies and incentives, we provide comprehensive assistance to the development of the digital health industry and accelerate the creation of an innovative ecosystem.
On the other hand, Hainan is at the forefront of the industry in implementing real-world applications and continues to explore new directions for digital therapeutics.
Hainan recognized early on the importance of a closed-loop payment system for the development of the digital therapeutics industry and began exploring mechanisms for price formation and health insurance reimbursement models for digital therapeutics. At the “Hainan – Global Digital Therapeutics Innovation Island: New Scenario Achievements Exhibition,” practitioners can tangibly perceive Hainan’s steady progress in implementing innovative applications of digital therapeutics, gradually establishing an application framework across diverse settings such as hospitals, communities, and homes. This represents only the initial achievements from its preliminary explorations.
Leveraging the Digital Therapeutics Conference as a platform to gain deeper insights into global innovation and grasp cutting-edge development trends, Hainan will further accelerate the implementation of innovative applications.
Currently,Hainan is providing support for global digital therapeutics companies in areas such as pilot implementation, business model validation, clinical trials, and product commercialization. These initiatives are undoubtedly transforming Hainan into a fertile ground for innovation in digital therapeutics.
As Hainan further promotes the development of digital therapeutics and the broader digital health industry, and continues to share innovative achievements and practical experiences, it is poised to become a central hub for policy issuance, consensus building, cognitive leadership, and resource aggregation in digital healthcare. In doing so, Hainan will further develop into a pioneering bridgehead for innovation-led growth in the digital health economy.