Fujifilm Showcases Healthcare Innovations at CIIE 2021 'Healthcare Day' to Advance High-Quality Medical Services in China

Recently, Fujifilm held a "Medical Day" themed event at its booth during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE). Kenichi Tanaka, President of Fujifilm (China) Investment Co., Ltd.; Genji Suzuki, Vice President and General Manager of the Medical Systems Division; and Ming Lang, Managing Director of Fujifilm Medical Systems (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., attended the event. They introduced to the attendees the innovations and developments in their healthcare business, emphasizing Fujifilm Group’s commitment to being rooted in China, deeply deploying its healthcare services, and supporting the implementation of the Healthy China strategy.

From 2011 to 2019, Fujifilm’s Healthcare Business Unit achieved steady and consistent progress, realizing an average annual sales growth of 7%. In March 2021, Fujifilm acquired Hitachi, Ltd.’s diagnostic imaging-related business and reorganized Fujifilm Healthcare Corporation, which was built upon this acquisition, into a group company. At this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE), Yuji Suzuki, Vice President of Fujifilm (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and General Manager of the Medical Systems Business Division, stated: “Fujifilm’s healthcare business is at a major turning point and is poised for further leaps forward. Moving ahead, we aim to drive growth across our entire business segment by accelerating the integration of products from Fujifilm and Fujifilm Healthcare Corporation, as well as enhancing collaboration with AI and image processing technologies, thereby strengthening our position on this new course.”

From left to right: Lang Ming, Managing Director of Fujifilm Medical Systems (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.; Kenichi Tanaka, President of Fujifilm (China) Investment Co., Ltd.; and Genji Suzuki, Vice President and General Manager of the Healthcare Systems Business Division.

As a diversified, technology-driven innovative enterprise that has transformed from a traditional film company, the Fujifilm Group possesses unique image processing and AI technologies accumulated over many years. The acquisition of Hitachi, Ltd.’s diagnostic imaging-related business has expanded its overall healthcare portfolio to include a rich array of products covering the three major areas of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment—such as CT scanners, X-ray photography systems, ultrasound diagnostic equipment, endoscopes, in vitro diagnostic systems, and PACS—setting it apart in the industry.

Genji Suzuki stated, “The integration of Fujifilm Healthcare Corporation into the Fujifilm Group will bring substantial value to our business development in China. Both parties will fully leverage their respective strengths in technology and operations to jointly develop high-value-added, proprietary products and services, thereby promoting the high-quality development of premium medical services in China.” Lang Ming also expressed strong confidence in the future prospects of this partnership. “Joining the Fujifilm Group will not only help further enhance our product portfolio, R&D, and marketing capabilities; but also, through the deep integration of our product lineup with Fujifilm’s robust medical IT and artificial intelligence technologies, we will be able to provide remote diagnostic and health examination services of superior quality at reasonable prices. This will facilitate early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer, while making healthcare delivery safer, more reliable, convenient, and comfortable.”

Given the current situation, the COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to subside in the short term. Amid the global epidemic prevention landscape, Fujifilm will seize the opportunity presented by China’s vigorous development of remote diagnostics, internet-based healthcare, and medical cloud platforms. Suzuki Genji told VCBeat, “To respond to the rapid growth of ‘Internet + Healthcare,’ we plan to further expand and develop our cloud services. Specifically, we will center on the IT products and services showcased at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to build a unique regional healthcare service system that integrates multiple image diagnostic systems, continuously strengthening cross-regional, end-to-end medical solutions.”

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Genji Suzuki, Vice President of Fujifilm (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and General Manager of the Medical Systems Business Division

Lang Ming, Managing Director of Fujifilm Medical Systems (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.

Uneven distribution of medical resources has become a prominent issue in China’s healthcare sector. To address this challenge, the Outline of the “Healthy China 2030” Plan proposed solutions such as establishing regional medical centers, implementing a tiered diagnosis and treatment system, and developing informatization platforms for medical quality management and control. These measures were further reinforced in the Implementation Plan for Building a High-Quality and Efficient Healthcare Service System during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, released this year.

To this end, Fujifilm has specially launched its “Medical IT Solutions” to help build more efficient in-hospital workflows and provide AI-assisted diagnosis, thereby meeting the needs of China’s informatization construction both within and outside hospitals. Keeping pace with China’s smart hospital policies and trends in informatization across in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings, Fujifilm offers comprehensive smart hospital solutions. By leveraging IT, IoT, AI, and other technologies, it delivers intelligent services throughout the entire patient journey, facilitating effective interaction and communication among hospitals, physicians, nurses, patients, suppliers, government agencies, public health institutions, and community service providers.

Meanwhile, as a partner of the China County Hospital Presidents Alliance, Fujifilm has established a platform for enhancing the diagnosis and treatment capabilities of digestive diseases and digestive endoscopy in county-level hospitals through the “High-Quality County Development – Early Gastric Cancer Screening Capacity Enhancement Training Program.” It supports the establishment of centers for early diagnosis and treatment of digestive system cancers and conducts academic exchange activities. These efforts synergistically accelerate the decentralization of medical resources, as well as the promotion and widespread adoption of technologies, thereby assisting grassroots hospitals in discipline development and talent pipeline construction, and contributing to the “Healthy China” initiative.

In the prevention and control of early-stage cancers, addressing the trend of high incidence and younger onset of breast cancer, Fujifilm’s mammography systems offer superior image clarity and user-friendly design compared to similar products on the market. The integrated intraoperative specimen imaging capability helps save time and costs for both healthcare providers and patients, thereby making a greater contribution to breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Fujifilm Healthcare’s new ultra-wide-bore CT system, SCENARIA-view, made its China debut at this year’s CIIE, delivering exceptional performance across routine scanning, emergency care, interventional procedures, and functional imaging. Meanwhile, the Helix series ultrasound imaging systems leverage high-quality imaging to flexibly meet the needs of diverse clinical specialties, offering cutting-edge, unique applications that continuously create new clinical value for users.

In addition to its deep-rooted development in the field of medical diagnostics, Fujifilm has extended its business scope into diverse frontier areas of healthcare, including biotechnology. Its subsidiary, Irvine Scientific, boasts a 50-year history in industrial cell culture, assisted reproduction, cell therapy, and cytogenetics. Currently, Irvine Scientific is providing professional services in these fields in China, empowering the development of China’s biomedical industry.

In China, as more companies invest in the biologics sector, including antibody drugs and vaccines, the market for cell culture media—a key upstream raw material—has grown rapidly. Fujifilm established a direct sales channel for cell culture media in China in 2019, further expanding its global sales network. At this exhibition, the company showcased products such as reproductive media and serum-free media for biopharmaceuticals and cell therapy. Its star cGMP-grade products suitable for large-scale industrial production—BalanCD CHO Feed 4 supplement and Prime-XV T Cell Culture Medium—drew significant attention from professional attendees. Looking ahead, Fujifilm will enhance customer satisfaction in China by offering customized cell culture media services to meet local clients’ needs.

“Embrace Challenges, Create the Future (NEVER STOP)” is Fujifilm’s theme for this China International Import Expo (CIIE), reflecting its enduring commitment. Looking ahead to Fujifilm’s future development, CEO Seiichi Goto stated, “Fujifilm formally entered the Chinese market in the 1960s. For Fujifilm, China is both a vital market and a key partner. Going forward, we will continue to provide innovative products and services to meet the needs of the Chinese public, while contributing to the advancement of China’s industries and the improvement of people’s living standards.”

Fujifilm Group: Composed of two core operating companies, Fujifilm Corporation and Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp., the Group connects 310 subsidiaries worldwide and employs more than 73,000 people. For the fiscal year 2020, total sales amounted to approximately USD 20.684 billion, with operating profit reaching approximately USD 1.561 billion. (As of March 2021)

Fujifilm (China) Investment Co., Ltd.: The overarching entity for Fujifilm Corporation’s operations in China, established on April 12, 2001, with its headquarters in Shanghai. Its business areas include digital cameras, imaging products, printing products, medical products, optoelectronic products, and industrial materials, with a registered capital of USD 213.4 million.