Registration Open: Insights into Pharma-MedTech Convergence – A Smart Healthcare Dialogue
We have recognized that future drug development and discovery must be built on strong partnerships to leverage innovations beyond our own domain.
——Gregg Talbert, Global Head of Digital and Personalized Healthcare Partnerships at Roche
Leveraging digital technologies—including telemedicine, wearable devices, and other tools—to enhance healthcare delivery efficiency and enable more personalized and precise medication is a significant trend in the current healthcare industry.
— President, Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC)
Digital innovation is a major priority for Sanofi globally. There is arguably no better place than China to explore and drive digital innovation.
—Henri Huchet, President of Sanofi China
The digital wave is sweeping across the globe, and empowering the health industry with digital technology has become a significant global trend. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the digital transformation of the health industry. Against this backdrop, PwC, in collaboration with VCBeat, jointly released the report “The Path of Digital Transformation in China’s Health Industry” at the third China International Import Expo. The report interprets the digitalization process of China’s health industry from the perspectives of four sub-sectors: medical services, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices; summarizes experiences in digital transformation; and provides recommendations for enterprises undergoing digital change. The report points out that pharmaceutical and medical device companies are actively exploring differentiation through digitalization amid increasingly fierce market competition. Drawing on past project experience, PwC uses the “3E” framework (Efficiency, Experience, Eco-system) to summarize the phased strategic objectives of digital transformation initiatives for pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers are leveraging their respective industry depths to embrace digitalization, building innovative ecosystems centered on disease management, patient engagement, and full-lifecycle care. As noted by executives from global pharmaceutical giants such as Roche, Johnson & Johnson, and Sanofi cited earlier, China’s market demand, along with its digital and innovation landscape, provides fertile ground. Only when ecosystem integrators join forces with bold innovators, guided by a steadfast commitment to patient needs and public health, can they create a prosperous, win-win future.
From the perspective of a clinician and former hospital administrator, President Feng believes that pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers need to identify new mindsets for differentiation and innovative breakthroughs during this window of opportunity for digital integration. Can pharmaceuticals and medical devices be integrated? What are the scenarios for combining drugs and devices? How should collaborative relationships across the drug-device integrated industry chain be constructed? What exactly is the product form of digital therapeutics, which the top ten global pharmaceutical companies are actively pursuing? These questions require collective reflection and dialogue among healthcare industry professionals. This interview specially invites experts from AstraZeneca (representing pharmaceutical companies), DeepWise Medical (a smart healthcare enterprise), and Amazon Web Services (an ecosystem-integrated cloud service provider) to jointly discuss these topics. The aim is to explore entry points for drug-device integration in the process of healthcare digital innovation, examine pathways for future industrial development, and harness the power of technology for social good.
Interview Guest:
Yu Chenlin
Deepwise Medical, General Manager of Smart Healthcare Solutions
Leads the delivery team for Deepwise Medical’s smart healthcare solutions and digital intelligence projects. With extensive experience in technological innovation and management within the medical ICT sector, possesses profound understanding and rich practical expertise in integrating emerging technologies with the healthcare industry. Pioneered the design of wireless digital healthcare solutions now widely adopted in mobile clinical care; innovatively developed a 5G+Cloud+AI imaging cloud system that has applied AI-driven image analysis to scenarios such as diagnostic imaging within medical consortia, vehicle-based early cancer screening, and COVID-19 pandemic response. Previously participated in one National Key R&D Program project under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Dr. Li Jian
Current Director of Healthcare Industry, Amazon Web Services (AWS) China
He is primarily responsible for driving innovative applications and strategic partnerships of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), within the healthcare and life sciences industries. Previously, he served as the Head of China Business for Intel’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Division. Prior to that, he spent over a decade working on medical innovation and emerging market strategies at globally renowned medical device companies, including Medtronic, Siemens, and Philips. Notably, he led the product development and global launch of Emprint, Medtronic’s flagship minimally invasive oncology surgery solution.
Chen Kai
Director, Digital and Commercial Innovation Team, AstraZeneca China
Responsible for the iCampus International Life Science Innovation Park, overseeing the development of AstraZeneca’s six major national platforms across Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Wuxi. Leading the iCampus team to introduce innovative life science projects from both domestic and international sources, providing end-to-end support from incubation to commercialization acceleration. This enriches AstraZeneca’s integrated diagnostic and therapeutic innovation solutions and supports its platform-based business strategy, offering an open innovation platform for life science enterprises worldwide and AstraZeneca’s partners.
2nd Floor, Multi-Function Lecture Hall, Shanghai Wujiaochang Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy
No. 322 Daxue Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai
*This is a small-scale, closed-door discussion offering in-depth, on-site interaction with guests. Unscheduled drop-ins are not permitted!
Scan the QR code to complete the registration form.
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“Smart Healthcare Interviews” is a digital health industry interview series initiated by Professor Feng Xiaoyuan, Lifetime Professor at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and Dean of the Shanghai Wujiaochang Innovation and Entrepreneurship College. Interviewees are drawn from research institutes, government regulatory agencies, and industry practitioners. The series aims to clarify the precise definition of smart healthcare, explore pathways for future industrial development, provide constructive and professional insights and recommendations, and chart the course for the growth of the smart healthcare sector.