BaYi Smart Technology Extends Eight-Year Strategic Partnership with IBM for Watson for Oncology, Expanding AI-Driven Cancer Care Across 22 Provinces and 65 Medical Institutions in China

VCBeat has learned that,Baiyang Smart Technology, a subsidiary of Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group, and IBM jointly announced that the two parties have agreed to extend the term of their strategic cooperation agreement on the exclusive general distribution rights for Watson for Oncology (hereinafter referred to as “WfO”), which became effective on March 28, 2017, from three years to eight years.Meanwhile, both parties will fully integrate their advantageous resources to establish a comprehensive and in-depth strategic partnership, jointly making positive contributions to the development of smart healthcare in China.

During this year’s Two Sessions, Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang explicitly stated in his Government Work Report that China should strengthen and expand emerging industrial clusters, implement a big data development initiative, enhance the research, development, and application of next-generation artificial intelligence, and promote “Internet Plus” across multiple sectors, including healthcare.

At the media briefing, Wang Biquan, Chief Marketing Officer of Baiyang Intelligent Technology, shared with the media the progress made since the formal completion of technical integration with IBM Watson Health in June 2017. “As of now,WfO has covered 65 hospitals and medical institutions across 39 cities in 22 provinces in China.As a reference tool for oncology treatment, WfO can comprehensively enhance the standardization of cancer care in primary healthcare institutions across China, while providing an efficient and intelligent teaching platform for clinical education and the training of young physicians in Tier 1 and Tier 2 hospitals, ultimately leveraging artificial intelligence to improve patients’ quality of life.

Since WfO entered commercial use in July 2015,With its global business footprint continuously expanding, Watson for Oncology has reached more than 150 hospitals across five continents. As of January 2018, it had served a cumulative total of over 45,000 patients.Lisa Rometty, General Manager of IBM Watson Health’s Global Oncology and Life Sciences Division, stated, “The importance of the Chinese market to IBM is self-evident; however, its complexity necessitates finding an excellent partner. We ultimately determined that Baiyang, with its extensive experience and industrial background, is the ideal partner for IBM Watson Health to jointly expand into the Chinese market. We take pride in Baiyang Intelligent Technology’s achievements over the past year. With hundreds of physicians and more than 10,000 cases already utilizing WfO in China, we are further convinced that Baiyang is a critical and indispensable partner for us. Looking ahead, we will deepen our collaboration with Baiyang to jointly advance the transformation of healthcare through cognitive technologies, thereby improving the quality of life for patients in China.”

Fu Gang, Chairman of Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group, stated, “We are delighted to continue our in-depth collaboration with IBM and extend the Watson for Oncology (WfO) contract to eight years. We are full of confidence in the future development of artificial intelligence in China. Watson is currently the only AI system globally that has reached an application-ready level in the healthcare sector, and it will continue to evolve to become even more intelligent. Through our partnership with Watson Health, Baiyang will gain a comprehensive understanding of AI applications in China’s healthcare landscape, working jointly with IBM to design and develop products better tailored to local needs. Furthermore, Baiyang has built BSmartD, an intelligent physician cloud platform featuring world-leading advanced AI medical products. As the only application-grade AI solution in the Chinese market that comprehensively integrates training from top global experts, BSmartD offers not only an oncology decision support system but also solutions for intelligent imaging diagnosis and radiation therapy, aiming to provide better treatment services for patients in China in the future.”

In the era of mobile internet, driven by national policies, artificial intelligence will bring unprecedented transformation to healthcare. The development prospects of Baiyang Intelligent Technology and Watson Health in the healthcare industry have attracted significant attention. It is reported that in June 2018, IBM will also launch an upgraded version of WfO, which will be more applicable in the Chinese market.