2023 World Digital Therapeutics Conference Grandly Opens in Hainan, Accelerating the Construction of a Global Digital Therapeutics Innovation Island

To accelerate the implementation of the "Several Measures for Accelerating the Development of the Digital Therapeutics Industry in Hainan Province" and actively build the brand of Hainan as a Global Innovation Island for Digital Therapeutics, the 2023 World Digital Therapeutics Conference grandly opened in Haikou on August 25, 2023. The event was hosted by Beijing Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., organized by Chongqing Dongmaicheng Technology Co., Ltd. and Hainan Danhuang Technology Co., Ltd., with support from the Digital Therapeutics Professional Committee of the China Association for Medical Device Industry, the UK Department for Business and Trade, and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, and in strategic cooperation with AstraZeneca Investment (China) Co., Ltd. and Hainan Eco-Software Park.

Themed “Pioneering a New Future for the Industrial Ecosystem and Jointly Building a Global Community of Health for All,” this international conference adopted a global perspective to foster dialogue on industrial innovation. It integrated cutting-edge developments in digital therapeutics, policy interpretation, academic exchange, industrial collaboration, and innovation showcases. The event brought together numerous distinguished guests, including academicians and experts from China and abroad, innovative enterprises, member units of provincial task forces dedicated to the digital therapeutics industry, and representatives from medical institutions, to jointly discuss, build, and share insights on the development directions, frontier trends, and collaborative opportunities in global digital therapeutics.

Xie Jing, Vice Governor of the People’s Government of Hainan Province; Yu Xuejun, Member of the Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Health Commission; and Ning Guang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and expert in endocrinology and metabolism, attended the conference and delivered remarks.Vice Governor Xie JingIn his opening remarks, he stated that in recent years, Hainan has thoroughly studied and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on Healthy China. Seizing the significant opportunities presented by the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), Hainan has prioritized the health industry as a key sector for development within the FTP. The province has actively planned and promoted the growth of the digital therapeutics industry, achieving positive results. He expressed the hope that Hainan would collaborate with all parties to jointly explore new pathways, theories, and regulations for digital therapeutics, working together to establish Hainan as a global innovation island for digital therapeutics, a hub for the aggregation of innovative resources, and a highland for industrial development.Deputy Director Yu XuejunIn his address, he stated that countries around the world attach great importance to the integrated development of healthcare and information technology. The World Health Organization has released the Global Strategy on Digital Health, and China’s National Health Commission, in collaboration with relevant departments, has formulated and issued documents such as the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Health Informatization. Digital health has become a crucial pillar promoting the development of healthcare services. As an essential component of digital health, digital therapeutics have seen Hainan take the lead nationwideIncorporated digital therapeutics into provincial planning and introduced policy measures to foster the development of the digital therapeutics industry,Hainan is accelerating its emergence as a policy and industrial hub for digital therapeutics. The National Health Commission is committed to supporting Hainan Province in taking the lead in pilot initiatives, continuously fostering new entities, new business formats, and new models within the health industry. The goal is to establish digital therapeutics as a new engine for the high-quality development of Hainan’s health industry and healthcare sector, thereby continually meeting the public’s health needs and accelerating the construction of a Healthy China.Academician Ning GuangIn his address, he stated that contemporary technological advancements are progressing rapidly, with new technologies and applications emerging continuously. With the development of global science, we are facing the third medical revolution. Digital therapeutics, a novel healthcare service model born from digital infrastructure, is used for disease prevention, management, and treatment. It leverages technological means to break down data silos in standalone digital health systems, enabling holistic health management across patients’ entire lifecycles and promoting the establishment of an intelligent health management ecosystem.

01. Digital Therapeutics Are in the Ascendant: Hainan Accelerates Industry Growth

In January 2022, Hainan Province listed “exploring pilot trials of digital therapeutics” as one of the key tasks in the *Hainan Province 14th Five-Year Plan for Digital Health Development*, marking the first time digital therapeutics were included in a provincial-level plan. In October of the same year, Hainan introduced the nation’s first comprehensive policy package supporting the full lifecycle of the digital therapeutics industry, known as the “21 Measures,” and subsequently began to substantively and systematically promote the implementation of digital therapeutics.

At this conference, the Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Health CommissionZhang YuhuiDelivering a keynote address titled “Hainan Riding the Wind: Progress in Building a Global Innovation Hub for Digital Therapeutics,” he comprehensively outlined Hainan’s rapid advancement in the digital therapeutics industry over the past two years and shared insights on its future development. His presentation covered four key aspects: “Why Hainan Should Develop the Digital Therapeutics Industry,” “Hainan’s Advantages in Developing the Digital Therapeutics Industry,” “Current Development Status of Hainan’s Digital Therapeutics Industry,” and “Hainan’s Next Steps.”

He stated that an increasing number of regions across China have begun to strongly support digital therapeutics. As a pioneer in the development of the digital therapeutics industry, Hainan will continue to accelerate its progress within the Free Trade Port and maintain its leading position in the advancement of digital therapeutics.

In this regard, multiple events were successfully held during the conference, including the launch of the “Hainan Initiative on Digital Therapeutics,” the release of the “2023 White Paper on Digital Therapeutics,” the award ceremony for the “Best Innovative and Practical Enterprises in Digital Therapeutics at the 2023 World Digital Therapeutics Conference,” and the signing ceremony for the implementation of innovative application scenarios and solutions for digital therapeutics in Hainan. These activities comprehensively demonstrated Hainan’s determination, confidence, and substantial achievements in developing its digital therapeutics industry.

It is reported that the “Hainan Initiative on Digital Therapeutics” was jointly released by Zhou Changqiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, along with multiple academicians and experts. The initiative comprises 15 articles, signaling that Hainan will join forces with key stakeholders to accelerate the development of Hainan as an innovation hub for digital therapeutics.

The “2023 World Digital Therapeutics Best Innovation and Practice Enterprise Awards” is a concurrent event of this conference. Grounded in the innovation and practice ecosystem of digital therapeutics, the awards are open to digital therapeutics companies worldwide. The evaluation focuses on the innovations, distinctive advantages, achievements, and the driving force and impact of the submitted practical cases on the global progress of digital therapeutics innovation during the review year. The initiative aims to identify emerging forces in the field of digital therapeutics and inject greater vitality into the more robust development of Hainan’s digital therapeutics industry.

“The Launch Ceremony for Innovative Application Scenarios and Implementation Solutions of Digital Therapeutics in Hainan” serves as a strong testament to Hainan’s substantive and systematic efforts to advance the implementation of digital therapeutics. For instance, in 2023, Hainan included digital therapeutics for the first time in its practical livelihood projects, launching a pilot program for digital therapeutics-based cognitive rehabilitation among the elderly. By deploying professional screening tools and digital therapeutics infrastructure, the province provides cognitive impairment screening for residents aged 60 and above. Individuals identified with cognitive decline or impairment during the pilot screening are offered professional assessment, follow-up care, and digital therapeutics interventions, thereby ensuring that all elderly individuals across the province have equal and voluntary access to comprehensive screening. Another example isIn 2023, Hainan Province fully implemented the “2+3” Health Service Package project, providing comprehensive support for the early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and management of five key conditions: hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and severe mental disorders.The Hainan Provincial Health Commission issued the “Notice on Soliciting and Selecting Innovative Application Scenarios and Solutions for Digital Therapeutics in Diabetes under the ‘2+3’ Health Service Package,” aiming to fully leverage the prominent advantages of digital therapeutics in effectively integrating medical and non-medical factors in disease prevention and control, coordinating in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings, rapidly empowering primary care, and supporting data-driven precision governance. This initiative seeks to establish a province-wide, whole-process digital health service system for diabetes prevention and treatment, thereby accelerating improvements in service quality and outcomes.

It is reported that the two aforementioned projects represent a collaborative effort by the Hainan Provincial Government, enterprises, industrial parks, and medical institutions to explore valuable application scenarios for digital therapeutics (DTx), thereby accelerating and enhancing the implementation and promotion of DTx solutions. The ceremony marked the establishment and growth in Hainan of six innovative DTx companies selected for these two projects, which will contribute to the development of digital therapeutic solutions in the region.

02. When Medicine Meets Digital Technology, a Deep Integration Begins

Aided by digital tools such as big data and artificial intelligence, an emerging medical paradigm integrating multiple cutting-edge technologies—digital therapeutics (DTx)—has emerged. Digital therapeutics leverage the comprehensive and deep integration of digital tools with healthcare services, significantly expanding physicians’ knowledge horizons and assisting them in making more accurate clinical judgments. By employing intelligent algorithms to refine medical processes, DTx delivers optimal treatment plans to each patient and transforms doctor-patient interactions into a new phase characterized by information sharing and collaborative decision-making.

In recent years, digital therapeutics (DTx) have experienced rapid growth globally, increasingly demonstrating their significant value in empowering healthcare. In China, however, DTx is still in its early stages of development. An examination of the current pipeline of products undergoing clinical trials reveals that they already cover a wide spectrum of disease areas, including amblyopia, autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders, and depression and anxiety.

With the advent of the digital era, digital therapeutics will undoubtedly become a key focus area for Digital China and a strategic pillar in the construction of Healthy China, while the digital medicine model will garner increasing attention and recognition.

Thomas C. Südhof, the 2013 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, is a deep participant in this digital transformation. At the conference, he stated that digitization has had a revolutionary impact on biomedical research, enabling the collection and analysis of massive amounts of data to answer critical scientific questions, driving researchers to delve deeper into the mysteries of life, and ultimately benefiting human health and well-being.

Academician Fan Daiming of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Jiang Tianjiao, Dean of VCBeat Research Institute, delivered keynote speeches titled “Integration and Transition in the Development of Digital Health” and “Digital Therapeutics: A Great Era, Great Opportunities, and Great Transformation,” respectively. They concurred that the gradual improvement of digital health infrastructure—exemplified by significant advances in digital therapeutics, the explosive emergence of ChatGPT, and the development of xR-enabled virtual reality software and hardware—is bringing the future of digital health within easy reach.

To further strengthen collaboration and exchange among government, industry, academia, research institutions, and investors in the field of digital therapeutics, the conference established five main forums: “Future Health Systems and a Global Community of Health for All,” “Digital Therapeutics and Oncology,” “Digital Therapeutics and Chronic Disease Management,” “Digital Therapeutics, Brain Science, and Cognitive Neuroscience,” and “Digital Therapeutics and the Global Innovation Industry Ecosystem.” These forums brought together academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, executives from multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as leading domestic healthcare enterprises, CEOs of listed companies, and renowned experts and scholars. Together, they gained comprehensive insights into the development of the digital therapeutics industry, explored the potential applications of digital therapeutics in specific medical scenarios, and tapped into their greater market potential.

03. Hainan Has Great Potential to Become a Hub for the Digital Health Industry and an Innovation Highland

In terms of research and policy support for digital therapeutics, Hainan has undoubtedly taken the lead in China. Whether by being the first to include digital therapeutics in a provincial-level plan in 2022, or by launching the world’s first comprehensive “21 Measures” policy package in October of the same year to support the full lifecycle of the digital therapeutics industry, Hainan has successfully attracted significant attention from the digital therapeutics sector.

In 2023, Hainan once again led the industry trend by initiating substantive and systematic efforts to implement digital therapeutics. In February of that year, the General Office of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the Hainan Provincial People’s Government issued the “Notice on Printing and Distributing the ‘Practical Matters for the People in 2023 by the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government,’” which included the “Pilot Program for Digital Therapeutics in Cognitive Rehabilitation for the Elderly.” In early March, Hainan held a promotion meeting for the construction of clinical trial centers for digital therapeutics, officially designating the 20 provincial-level “Digital Therapeutics Trial Centers” identified the previous year and outlining specific task requirements. In June, the Hainan Provincial Health Commission released the “Notice on Launching the Call for Innovative Application Scenarios and Technical Solutions for Digital Therapeutics in Diabetes Management within the ‘2+3’ Health Service Package,” inviting innovative application scenarios and technical solutions from across society. The selection results were announced in July, with preliminary pilot work scheduled to be carried out within a defined scope during the year.

Digital therapeutics are deeply integrating digital technologies with public health needs, accelerating the construction of a new landscape in healthcare. Seizing this historical opportunity presented by the “World Digital Therapeutics Conference,” Hainan is committed to building an innovation hub for digital therapeutics, a cluster for innovative resources, and an industrial highland, thereby establishing digital therapeutics as a new engine for the high-quality development of Hainan’s health sector and industry.

Annex: Hainan Initiative on Digital Therapeutics (2023)

Hainan Initiative on Digital Therapeutics (2023)

I. Accelerate the research, development, and application of affordable, high-efficiency, and higher-quality digital therapeutics solutions; adhere to a people-centered approach while upholding integrity and fostering innovation; promote the rapid establishment of a digital health system; continuously enhance human health and well-being; and achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

II. Promote high-quality clinical research, address scientific research needs and challenges, adhere to the principles of evidence-based medicine, advance the development of high-quality digital therapeutics products, and better meet the health needs of residents.

III. Expand the supply of digital therapeutics products and digital health solutions, strengthen the regulatory allocation of government health service resources, and enhance the accessibility of digital health services for populations across different income levels.

IV. Accelerate the development of efficient digital therapeutics partnerships to establish a collaborative, co-creative, and symbiotic digital therapeutics ecosystem involving policymakers and regulators, healthcare providers, patients, and product manufacturers.

V. Accelerate the development of Hainan as a global innovation hub for digital therapeutics, integrate resources from the medical, scientific research, and industrial sectors, enhance the health and well-being of Hainan’s population, and provide a Chinese regional model for digital health practices to the world.

VI. Promote health economics research with a focus on digital therapeutics, guided by the holistic concepts of "Greater Health" and "Comprehensive Healthcare," aiming to reduce overall medical costs, and proactively explore new payment methods and models for digital therapeutics.

VII. Promote the empowerment of the health system in the new era through digital technologies, apply digital therapeutics products in the diagnosis and treatment of more specialties and diseases, fully leverage the optimizing role of digital technologies, and enhance the efficiency of the health system.

VIII. Promote the construction of digital health infrastructure, accelerate the development of a full-chain, all-scenario digital platform, bridge the digital divide, and provide critical support for the research, development, and application of digital therapeutics.

IX. Increase investment in digital health public goods, digital systems, and health data; strengthen capacity building among government departments, healthcare institutions, and innovative enterprises; and accelerate the comprehensive realization of the digital health vision.

X. Promote the dissemination of high-quality digital therapeutics technologies and best practices, eliminate barriers to accessing digital health technologies and information in developing countries and regions, and strengthen exchange and cooperation in the global field of digital therapeutics.

XI. Strengthen research on monitoring models for digital therapeutics, evaluate the impact of digital health solutions such as digital therapeutics on the transformation of healthcare systems and individual health outcomes, anticipate development trends, and address corresponding challenges.

XII. Accelerate the widespread adoption of digital health concepts across society, enhance public understanding of digital health principles, and rapidly build a societal consensus on digital health.

XIII. Strengthen the development of regulatory standards in the field of digital therapeutics to promote the healthy and rapid growth of digital therapeutic products within a well-defined, evidence-based, and rule-governed framework.

XIV. Based on the protection of personal privacy and data security, accelerate the promotion of health data mining and application, and fully release the core value and economic momentum of health data as a key production factor in a traceable and shareable system.

XV. Promote digital health as an integral component of global health governance, assist the world in addressing critical health challenges, ensure that the equitable普及 of digital technologies benefits everyone’s health, and jointly build a community of common health for mankind.

Hainan Initiative on Digital Therapeutics 2023

1. Accelerate the development of affordable, efficient, and high-quality digital health solutions with a people-centered and innovative approach, promoting the formation of a digital health ecosystem, continuously enhancing the well-being of all mankind and achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

2. Expedite high-quality clinical research, focusing on research needs and challenges.  Accelerate the research and development of high-quality digital therapeutic products with the principle of evidence-based medicine, to better satisfy the community's health need.

3. Improve the supply of digital therapeutic products and digital health solutions, and the governments’allocation of healthcare resources, to enhance the accessibility of digital health services for all income groups.

4. Establish efficient partnerships of digital therapeutics, forming an ecosystem where policy makers, regulators, healthcare providers, patients, and product manufacturers collaboratively shape the digital therapeutics landscape.

5. Accelerate the construction of a globally innovative hub for digital therapeutics in Hainan, converging medical, research, and industrial partners to elevate local health and well-being, while offering the world a model  of regional digital health practices.

6. Promote health economics research centered around digital therapeutics, guided by the concept of holistic health approach. Aim to reduce comprehensive medical costs and proactively explore new ways and models for digital therapeutic payment.

7. Propel digital technology to empower the healthcare systems in the new era. Apply digital therapeutic products in various specialized fields and diseases treatment, optimizing the  effects of digital technology to enhance healthcare system efficiency.

8. Advance the construction of digital health infrastructure, accelerate the establishment of an end-to-end, all-scenario digital platforms, eliminate digital divides, and provide vital support for the R&D and application of digital therapeutics.

9. Strengthen investment in digital health public products, digital systems, and health data. Build capacities of government departments, healthcare institutions, and innovative enterprises, to expedite the realization of the digital health vision.

10. Promote the dissemination of high-quality digital therapeutic technologies and best practices. Eradicate barriers for developing countries and regions in accessing digital health technologies and information. Enhance global exchanges and collaborations on digital therapeutics.

11. Promote research on digital therapeutic monitoring models, evaluating the impact of digital therapeutic solutions on healthcare system transformation and individual health improvement, while predicting trends and addressing challenges that follow.

12. Encourage the widespread adoption of digital health concepts in the whole society. Accelerate the public's understanding of digital health ideas, fostering a universal consensus on digital health.

13. Strengthen the formulation of regulatory standards for the digital therapeutics, facilitating the healthy and rapid development of digital therapeutic products within well-defined boundaries.

14. Based on personal privacy protection and data security, expedite the utilization of health data, fully unlocking the core value and economic potential of health data as a key production factor within a traceable and shareable framework.

15. Mainstreaming digital health in global health governance, assisting the world in addressing critical health challenges. Ensure equitable access to the benefits of digital technology for everyone's health, and contribute to the efforts in building a Shared Global Community of Health for All.