JD Health and Allergan Announce Strategic Partnership to Serve Millions of Ophthalmic Patients

The robust growth of pharmaceutical e-commerce in recent years has provided traditional pharmaceutical companies with broader space for expansion, while the comprehensive pharmaceutical service ecosystem built on internet capabilities and resources by these platforms has revealed even greater potential for transformation and upgrading.

On May 6, Allergan, a global leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with JD Health to launch comprehensive collaboration. In the future, both parties will focus on the prevention and treatment of ophthalmic diseases, cooperating in areas such as internet healthcare, pharmaceutical services, disease management, and doctor-patient education. This partnership aims to address issues related to medication accessibility and patient adherence, helping users and patients fully enjoy the convenience of one-stop professional services provided by online platforms, including online consultations, prescription issuance, medication dispensing, and access to cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment information.

Jin Enlin, General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Division at JD Health, and Wang Wei, President of Allergan China, Attend the Signing Ceremony

Authoritative data indicate that the number of myopia patients in China has approached 600 million, while the number of patients affected by diseases such as glaucoma has reached tens of millions. Meanwhile, many systemic diseases—including diabetes, neurological disorders, anemia, and acute infectious diseases—can also impact eye health. For instance, patients with stage 2 diabetes have a 60% probability of developing retinopathy, with some severe cases leading directly to blindness. Therefore, eye health has become a critical component of national public health.

As a multinational pharmaceutical company with a 70-year history, Allergan has earned widespread industry acclaim for its products in the field of ophthalmic diseases, including glaucoma. In 2009, Allergan officially entered the Chinese market. Leveraging the “fast track” development of China’s internet healthcare sector, Allergan partnered with JD Health to boldly embrace digital transformation.

Following the collaboration, the primary objective for both parties is to jointly establish a digital patient education system. Specifically, JD Health will work with Allergan to create disease-specific zones centered on individual conditions. By offering diverse educational formats—including patient education articles, videos, and physician consultations—they aim to build a multidimensional and in-depth long-term management service for patients. Additionally, JD Health will collaborate with Allergan’s experts to host regular live-streamed lectures, disseminating pharmaceutical knowledge to patients in a manner better aligned with the habits of mobile internet users.

Exploring the new model of “Internet-based patient–physician education” is merely the first step in their collaboration. Building on this foundation, the two parties will further develop an intelligent chronic disease management system powered by prescription circulation. Starting with single-disease digital hubs, they will strengthen chronic disease management to support the “Internet + Healthcare” initiative, address patients’ pain points across the entire care journey—pre-consultation, during consultation, and post-consultation—and provide long-term management plans to comprehensively improve patient experience.

In recent years, JD Health has achieved rapid, synergistic growth across multiple business segments, including pharmaceutical and healthcare e-commerce, internet healthcare, smart solutions, and health services. Its products and services now cover the entire pharmaceutical industry chain, the full medical care process, all health scenarios, and the entire user life cycle, providing users with the most comprehensive “Internet + Healthcare” services. At JD Health, users can enjoy a seamless, one-stop “Medical + Pharmaceutical” closed-loop experience that encompasses every step from online consultations and obtaining electronic prescriptions to purchasing medications online and receiving medication management services. During the pandemic this year, the JD Health platform provided free online consultations and psychological counseling to tens of millions of users both in China and abroad, while ensuring medication access for hundreds of millions of people, including those with chronic diseases. This demonstrates the significant value and robust vitality of the “Medical + Pharmaceutical” closed-loop ecosystem.

Jin Enlin, General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Division at JD Health, stated that JD Health will collaborate with numerous partners to provide patients with high-quality medications, disseminate cutting-edge international diagnostic and treatment concepts to the industry, and offer consumers comprehensive popular science information on disease prevention and control. By doing so, JD Health aims to truly become a “Chief Health Steward” trusted by every user, helping the public upgrade to healthier lifestyles.

A representative from Allergan stated that, leveraging JD Health’s resources, technological capabilities, and supply chain advantages, Allergan will collaborate with JD Health to provide patients with intelligent and efficient “Internet + Medication Services.” Building on this partnership, JD Health and Allergan plan to further explore collaboration in additional areas, including online consultations, pharmaceutical distribution, and intelligent supply chains.