JD Health and Eisai China Forge Strategic Partnership to Launch Integrated Online Healthcare Platform for Elderly Populations

On June 4, 2020, JD Health officially entered into a strategic partnership with Eisai China, a leading global multinational pharmaceutical company. The two parties announced that they would fully integrate Eisai’s international experience, professional expertise, and innovative medical solutions accumulated across various therapeutic areas with JD Health’s core strengths in pharmaceutical e-commerce and internet-based healthcare. Together, they aim to create the industry’s first one-stop online service platform dedicated to providing comprehensive medical, health, and lifestyle services for the elderly.

The two parties will collaborate in areas such as streamlining the patient journey, extending hospital medical and pharmaceutical distribution chains, conducting online-offline integrated disease education, building an elderly health ecosystem, and implementing public welfare initiatives. They are committed to providing patients with more considerate and convenient healthcare services and more efficient, professional solutions, thereby comprehensively improving the quality of life for the elderly population.

(From left to right: Jin Enlin, General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Division and Head of Strategy & Investment at JD Health; Xin Lijun, Vice President of JD.com and CEO of JD Health; Li Mingyi, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Health Care Association for the Elderly; Professor Wang Huali, Managing Director of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI); Feng Yanhui, Global Vice President of Eisai Co., Ltd. and General Manager of Eisai China; Zhou Yang, Senior Department Head of the Neuroscience Business Unit at Eisai China.)

Currently, China has entered an aging society and is on the verge of a phase of rapid population aging. By the end of 2018, the number of people aged 60 and above in China reached 249 million, accounting for 17.9% of the total population, making it the only country in the world with an elderly population exceeding 200 million. Li Mingyi, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Health Care Association for the Elderly, believes that aging exacerbates the social burden, particularly highlighting the demand for medical care and daily life services. However, the current workforce providing elderly care services in China is far from meeting the objective needs of the development of the elderly care industry.

Under the pressure of population aging, “Internet+” has become an inevitable trend in the healthcare services industry. Wang Huali, Executive Director of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), stated that taking Alzheimer’s disease as an example, data shows that over 80% of caregivers are required to provide constant care for patients, and more than 60% of caregivers experience significant psychological stress. Insufficient caregiving capacity, scarcity of caregiving resources, and limited treatment options have become the three major challenges faced by patients’ families. However, the reality is that there is currently no comprehensive online service platform specifically designed for the elderly on the market.

JD Health and Eisai China are deepening their collaboration to jointly address this industry challenge. Both parties will fully leverage their respective strengths and resources, utilizing the “Internet+” model to facilitate the adaptation of healthcare delivery to the aging trend.

(From left to right: the moderator; Li Mingyi, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Health Care Association for the Elderly; Professor Wang Huali, Executive Director of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI); Zhou Yang, Senior Director of the Neuroscience Business Division at Eisai China; and Jin Enlin, General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Department and Head of Strategy and Investment at JD Health.)

“JD Health has built the most extensive and comprehensive ‘Internet + Healthcare’ ecosystem in the industry. Its most robust pharmaceutical supply chain system provides professional warehousing, logistics, and customer service support for products on the co-built platform,” said Xin Lijun, Vice President of JD.com and CEO of JD Health. “Through the joint development of this online platform dedicated to healthcare services for the elderly, JD Health and Eisai China aim to achieve full coverage across the entire medical care process, all health-related scenarios, and the complete user lifecycle for the elderly population.”

Feng Yanhui, Global Vice President of Eisai and General Manager of Eisai China, stated that as a global leader in the neuroscience field, Eisai boasts world-leading academic resources in neuroscience, a robust product pipeline, a strong market reputation, and a professional academic team, making its collaboration with JD Health a partnership between two industry giants. Meanwhile, Eisai has mature operational service experience in Japan’s elderly care industry and services, including eldercare and nursing, offering models that can serve as references for the Chinese market. Both parties will join forces to address the challenges posed by China’s aging population and collectively contribute to the “Healthy China” initiative.