Tencent Partners with Tonghua Dongbao to Advance Internet-Plus Chronic Disease Management
On April 20, 2016, Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. signed an “Internet+ Strategic Cooperation Agreement” with Shenzhen Tencent. This collaboration not only signifies that Tonghua Dongbao has become the second partner in Tencent’s “Internet+ Chronic Disease Management” initiative since the official launch of its “Teng Ai Medical” strategy, but also marks Tonghua Dongbao’s deepening exploration into cloud-based management within the field of diabetes blood glucose monitoring.
On March 25 this year, Ding Ke, Vice President of Tencent, announced the official launch of the “Teng Ai Medical” strategy at the “Internet + Chronic Disease Management” press conference. Leveraging its social DNA and big data capabilities, Tencent aims to build an open “Internet + Healthcare” platform that provides internet-enabled backend services for the healthcare industry, serving as a connector between China’s healthcare sector and the internet. This also signifies the successful pilot of the “Guizhou Model,” co-established by Tencent, the Guizhou Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, and Guizhou Bailing Group since May last year. VCBeat has previously provided detailed coverage and analysis of this initiative.“Tencent’s ‘Teng Ai Medical Strategy’ Emerges, WeChat May Become a Primary Gateway for Healthcare Connectivity”。
Content of Cooperation between the Two Parties:
(1) Build and promote an Internet+ chronic disease management platform
Jointly build an "Internet Plus" chronic disease management model, assist primary care physicians in effectively managing patient records, enhance their service capabilities, and break down information silos.
Jointly invest high-quality resources to research, develop, and build software and hardware systems for chronic disease management, providing primary care physicians with a highly informatized, intelligent, specialized, and reliable chronic disease management platform.
Leveraging both parties’ Internet Plus Chronic Disease Management Platforms, an effective tiered diagnosis and treatment system will be established within the pilot areas to facilitate the penetration of expert medical resources into primary healthcare settings.
Jointly explore the application of finance in the healthcare industry, and help patients effectively reduce the economic burden of chronic disease management by introducing more financial models.
Integrate both parties’ online and offline networks, popularize and promote the jointly developed “Internet+ Chronic Disease Management” platform within the pilot areas, and assist primary care physicians in providing effective telemedicine consultations and guidance to patients.
(2) Assisting grassroots physicians in establishing professional personal brands
Integrate online and offline resources from both parties to help primary care physicians build professional personal brands.
Actively promote multi-site practice for physicians to expand the service scope of primary healthcare resources.
Leverage Tencent’s online resources and products to enhance the experience and efficiency of communication between doctors and patients, with
Effectively improve doctor-patient management.Leverage the expert resources of both parties to provide regular, on-site training for primary care physicians, effectively enhancing their
professional capabilities.
Tonghua Dongbao Deepens Its Focus on Diabetes Blood Glucose Monitoring
As the largest domestic manufacturer of human insulin in China, Tonghua Dongbao sees millions of diabetic patients using its Gan Shulin human insulin daily to manage their blood glucose levels. As a pharmaceutical company, access to patient big data would play a positive role in drug development and research. VCBeat has learned that in August last year, Tonghua Dongbao signed an "Equity Subscription Agreement" with Bionime Corporation. Through this agreement, Tonghua Dongbao acquired a 17.79% stake in Bionime and secured the exclusive general distribution rights for all of Bionime’s blood glucose monitoring products in mainland China, thereby fully entering the field of diabetes blood glucose monitoring.
It is reported that Bionime Corporation was established in April 2003. Its core technologies are electrochemical blood glucose monitors and test strips. By leveraging unique patented technologies and manufacturing processes, the company integrates expertise from medicine, chemistry, electronics, mechanical engineering, precision manufacturing, and cutting-edge nanotechnology. In October 2003, it completed laboratory pilot production of disposable blood glucose test strips for home healthcare use. In collaboration with a team of qualified experts in the field of diabetes, Bionime has initiated and secured several patents related to Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) in recent years.
Bionime's Main Products:
Significance of This Collaboration
Signing of the “Internet+” Strategic Cooperation Agreement Between Tencent and Tonghua Dongbao Marks a Powerful Alliance Between China’s Largest Internet Service Provider by User Base and the Leading Domestic Diabetes Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Serving the Largest Number of Grassroots Offline Diabetes Patients. By integrating online and offline resources, the partnership aims to fully leverage the advantages of “Internet+ Healthcare” in chronic disease management, jointly explore various chronic disease management models, identify effective “Internet+” approaches, facilitate the deployment of expert resources to grassroots medical institutions, enhance the service capabilities of primary care physicians, support the government in establishing an effective tiered diagnosis and treatment system, and help patients effectively reduce the economic burden associated with chronic disease management.
For Tencent:This collaboration serves as another validation of the chronic disease management component of Tencent’s “Teng Ai Medical” strategy. By leveraging Tonghua Dongbao’s extensive offline patient resources and its accumulated experience and technological advantages in blood glucose monitoring for diabetes, and integrating these with Tencent’s own Tang Da Fu smart glucometer and Teng Ai APP, this partnership plays a significant role in advancing Tencent’s chronic disease management platform, expanding into the medical finance sector, and accumulating both online and offline resources.
For Tonghua Dongbao:This collaboration with Tencent, leveraging its internet operations expertise, will positively impact the development of our diabetes chronic disease management platform. Specifically, the direct upload of blood glucose monitoring data from Tencent’s smart glucometers to WeChat complements the existing Bluetooth-enabled app model used in Tonghua Dongbao’s chronic disease management system. This synergy will significantly expand the reach of Tonghua Dongbao’s diabetes patient coverage, enhance the influence of its chronic disease management services, and increase the likelihood of success. The partnership will provide substantial support for Tonghua Dongbao’s strategic goal of becoming a comprehensive provider of diabetes solutions.