BY-HEALTH Invests RMB 87.6 Million to Enter the Billion-Dollar Gene Testing Market
1. By-Health Makes Strategic Investment of RMB 87.6 Million to Enter the Billion-Dollar Genetic Testing Market
According to Xinhua News Agency, on September 7, By-Health issued an announcement stating that it would invest RMB 87.6 million of its own funds in Shanghai Fandi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (which focuses on providing safe, accurate, and rapid genetic testing services to clinical settings and the general public), acquiring a 19.0435% equity stake and positioning itself in the multi-billion-yuan genetic testing market.
Shanghai Fandi will become one of the partners in By-Health’s effort to build a comprehensive health industry ecosystem. The two parties will integrate resources and continuously invest in next-generation gene sequencing technologies that represent future trends, aiming to improve public quality of life through more scientifically robust diagnostic data.
Currently, gene sequencing is widely applied in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), oncology diagnostics, and other areas. Industry insiders predict that China’s genetic testing market and its related industries will likely serve more than 10 million tests annually, indicating substantial growth potential, with the domestic market size potentially exceeding RMB 100 billion.
2. Baidu Launches Robot Assistant “Du Mi,” Potentially Enabling Intelligent Internet Healthcare Services
On September 8, at the 2015 Baidu World Conference, Robin Li announced the launch of a new robotic assistant, Duer, in the latest version 6.8 of the Baidu Mobile app.
At the event, Robin Li demonstrated using voice commands to control DuerOS for services such as purchasing movie tickets, making restaurant reservations, and hailing Uber rides.
Currently, DuMi offers secretary-like services in three scenarios: dining, movies, and pet care. It will soon expand into industries such as healthcare and finance. In the future, you may be able to simply converse with “DuMi” to automatically schedule a doctor’s appointment.
According to Baidu, Duer is not ruling out the possibility of developing a standalone app, and may even create Duer robots to provide services in the form of physical robots.
3. Toshiba Launches Tracking Wristband Designed Specifically for the Elderly
Japanese technology conglomerate Toshiba believes that elderly care is a key direction for future health services, and monitoring the whereabouts of elderly patients or those with dementia is crucial, as they are at risk of getting lost and injured. Current tracking technologies can monitor patients’ locations without restricting their freedom of movement, leading to the launch of two trackers designed for the elderly—the Silmee W20 and W21.
The smart band is similar to most health and fitness trackers currently on the market, but it is specifically designed for elderly users. Equipped with a skin temperature sensor, pulse sensor, ultraviolet (UV) light sensor, accelerometer, and an emergency button, the device connects to iOS or Android devices via Bluetooth. The W21 also features a GPS tracking system to prevent wearers from getting lost or going missing. Both models are powered by lithium-ion batteries, offering a battery life of two weeks.
4Ministry of Commerce: Promoting Cross-Sector Integration in Pharmaceutical E-Commerce to Reduce Drug Costs
On September 7, the Ministry of Commerce held its regular press conference, at which the spokesperson for the Ministry of CommerceShen Danyangstated,Pharmaceutical E-commerceThe cross-industry integration and development will be the key to the transformation of service models in the pharmaceutical retail industry in the future.
Therefore, as a next step, the Ministry of Commerce will actively collaborate with the State Council’s Office for Healthcare Reform, the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other relevant departments to study, formulate, and implement policies, mechanisms, and standards governing the development of pharmaceutical e-commerce. This initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of pharmaceutical, medical, and prescription information with drug retail enterprises, thereby accelerating cross-sector integration and growth in the pharmaceutical e-commerce industry.
Shen Danyang stated that the cross-sector integration of pharmaceutical e-commerce helps reduce drug distribution costs and improve distribution efficiency, while also imposing higher requirements on drug quality assurance, patient medication safety, logistics and delivery services, and pharmacists’ provision of medication guidance.