Domestic Internet Healthcare Financing Exceeds RMB 1 Billion in a Week, Mayo Clinic Enters China with Referral Hub

Events & Perspectives

Last week, the hottest topic in the internet healthcare circle was undoubtedlyMayo Clinic Establishes Referral Office in China. (For more on Mayo Clinic’s internet healthcare strategy, click here)Here）

This marks a true seamless connection for Chinese patients with Mayo Clinic, enabling them to more conveniently access its high-quality medical technologies and services.

According to VCBeat,Mayo Clinic’s referral operations in China will be managed by its joint venture in the country, Huimei Healthcare. However, this move has inadvertently drawn in another player, Shengnuo Yijia, with some ill-intentioned observers eagerly anticipating a public feud between the two companies. But such speculation is misguided. According to Luo Rushu, CEO of Huimei Healthcare, the two firms are not competitors; instead, they plan to cultivate a friendly and collaborative partnership.

Just one day prior, Mayo Clinic and Hao Rensheng (in which Mayo had invested two years earlier) jointly announced the official launch of the “Mayo Intelligent Self-Diagnosis System” in China, leveraging Mayo’s knowledge base system and intelligent triage algorithms to deliver world-class personal health management via mobile platforms.

One more thingTopping the weekly trending search list is Addyi, the “female Viagra.”。

Not only did it receive FDA approval this Tuesday and is scheduled to go on sale on October 17 this year, but also two days later,Acquired by Canadian pharmaceutical giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals International for $1 billion in cash.Under the agreement, Valeant will pay $500 million upon closing of the transaction and an additional $500 million in the first quarter of next year.

Back in China, Alibaba Health has unveiled new moves.

Last week,Alibaba Health and Carestream Health Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement to Build a U.S. Navy-Level Imaging Diagnostic Platform on Alibaba Health’s Cloud Hospital PlatformPursuant to the cooperation agreement between Alibaba Health and Carestream Health, both parties will implement an internet-based operational model for imaging centers leveraging the Cloud Hospital Platform, thereby providing synchronized online and offline services to institutions, physicians, and patients on the platform. Carestream Health will provide software solutions for the Alibaba Health Cloud Hospital Platform, including PACS/RIS data center systems, imaging specialist client applications, and image viewing tools. Alibaba Health will integrate these software components to establish a specialized medical imaging platform, facilitating subsequent joint operations and implementation by both parties.

The agreement also indicates that after the electronic health records (EHR) on the Ali Health app and the PC-based Cloud Hospital platform are integrated with Carestream Health’s services, medical images captured by patients on the platform will be stored by them in the cloud. Patients can then directly submit requests to physicians on the Cloud Hospital to obtain imaging diagnostic recommendations.

For detailed coverage, click here.Early Report from VCBeat。

Furthermore, according to reportsPutian-Linked Medical Groups Aim to Launch E-Commerce Platforms。

Don’t doubt it? Read on.

As the entire Chinese public is aware, the highly publicized feud between the Putian medical network and Baidu belonged to this very sector. This round of conflict became the focal point of widespread attention. Now that the incident has run its course, the parties involved are shifting their focus to building e-commerce platforms.

Last week, Wu Xidong, Executive President of the Putian (China) General Chamber of Commerce for the Health Industry and President of the Putian Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Trading Network, stated thatThe Putian medical group has obtained the Class A License for Online Drug Trading Services issued by the China Food and Drug Administration.

In fact, the Putian-affiliated medical providers had previously planned to join forces to establish an online pharmaceutical trading platform. As late as the end of June this year, the Putian Health Industry Association hosted a high-level forum on “Internet Plus Health Industry.” The Putian-affiliated medical sector has begun to usher in the 3.0 era of non-public healthcare and, by leveraging the “Internet Plus” concept, aims to build a B2B e-commerce platform for pharmaceuticals to reduce medical procurement costs through centralized purchasing.

This certification undoubtedly marks a significant step in the collective transformation and upgrading of the “Putian network.” For an entity that has been deeply entrenched in offline healthcare for many years, it can be considered

Below is a review of several new products that are by no means “high-end.”

Roche has developed a mobile app that can monitor symptom fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease.

Last week, Roche announced that its Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED) unit had developed a smartphone-based monitoring system for patients with Parkinson’s disease, which will be utilized in a clinical trial. According to Roche, this system serves as a complement to traditional physician-led assessments, adding that “this may be the first time such an application has been used in a Parkinson’s disease drug development program to assess disease and symptom severity.”

Toshiba Launches Wristband Sensor to Monitor Speech Volume and Pulse.

Last week, Toshiba launched new products in its “Silmee” series of human sensors: the “Silmee W20” and “Silmee W21.” These two models were developed by adding new features to the wristband-type activity monitor “Actiband.” In addition, orders for the Silmee W20 will be accepted starting August 17, 2015, on Amazon, Yahoo! Shopping, and Rakuten Ichiba. The product is scheduled to ship in late September.

In addition to the activity, sleep, and dietary tracking features offered by Actiband, both products are equipped with new functionalities such as speech volume monitoring, mealtime detection, location tracking, emergency contact with third parties via a control button, pulse monitoring, UV exposure monitoring, and skin temperature measurement. The recorded health logs can be shared with third parties. As an enterprise-oriented extended feature, the system can send emergency notifications to registered users when sensors detect abnormal values.

Additionally, Toshiba will unify the branding of its wristband-style activity monitor “Actiband” and adhesive-type body sensor “Silmee Bar type Lite” under the “Silmee” series. It will launch a variety of products for diverse applications.

Another one has won widespread public support.

Australian Study Confirms Mobile Phone-Based Services Can Aid Weight Loss.

The University of Sydney website recently published an article stating that a latest trial has demonstrated the efficacy of specialized weight-loss “intervention packages” designed based on mobile phone features.

According to reports, the “intervention package” includes SMS broadcasts, mobile app usage, regular email deliveries, and personalized telephone coaching by fitness trainers. In a 12-week follow-up trial, researchers randomly assigned participants into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received daily interventions from the package, whereas the control group received only four encouraging text messages, one introductory phone call about the study, and a two-page project summary. The results showed that participants in the intervention package group experienced an average weight loss of 2.2 kilograms, while those in the control group showed no significant change in weight.

So, smartphones can not only scan your face but also scan your flesh.

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Healthcare Reform

The State Council "Speaks Out" in Support of Big Data, Promoting the Opening of Government Data in Healthcare and Other Sectors:On August 19, Premier Li Keqiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council, which approved the Action Outline for Promoting Big Data Development. The meeting held that effectively developing and applying big data, a foundational strategic resource, would help promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, transform and upgrade traditional industries, and cultivate new engines for economic development as well as new advantages in international competition.

The meeting emphasized the need to promote interconnectivity and sharing among government information systems and public data, prioritizing the opening of government data in livelihood sectors such as transportation, healthcare, employment, and social security to the public. It also called for launching big data application demonstrations in areas including urban development, social assistance, quality and safety oversight, and community services, thereby enhancing the level of social governance.

This initiative is certain to drive the development of precision medicine.

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Individual Tax-Deferred Health Insurance Business:The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Individual Tax-Advantaged Health Insurance Business to local insurance regulatory bureaus and life insurance companies. The measures specify that the design of such health insurance products shall adhere to the principles of prioritizing protection, reasonable pricing, and low-margin operations, adopt the universal life insurance model, and include two components: medical insurance coverage and personal account accumulation. The medical insurance component shall be coordinated with basic medical insurance and supplementary medical insurance, serving to reimburse out-of-pocket medical expenses incurred by the insured after compensation from basic and supplementary medical insurance. The sum insured for medical insurance shall not be less than RMB 200,000; pre-existing conditions are covered; no deductible applies to the medical insurance; and the simple loss ratio for medical insurance shall not be lower than 80%, among other provisions.

Based on the above information, this is considered a significant positive development for internet healthcare.

Zhejiang Reaffirms That Hospitals Withholding "Physician Certificates" Is Illegal:The General Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "Notice on Standardizing the Management of Physician Qualification Certificates and Other Related Documents." The notice points out that the Physician Qualification Certificate, Physician Practice Certificate, and Nurse Practice Certificate are administrative license documents issued by administrative organs upon making decisions to grant administrative licenses. According to relevant laws and regulations, employers shall not retain the original copies of physician qualification certificates and other such documents. Medical institutions may keep photocopies of physician qualification certificates and other related documents for the purpose of improving personnel management archives for medical staff.

Guangdong Province Releases Action Plan to Promote the Development of the Health Service Industry:The official website of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government released the “Action Plan for Promoting the Development of the Health Service Industry in Guangdong Province (2015–2020).” The document proposes encouraging social capital to establish medical institutions and supporting qualified professionals, such as renowned and experienced traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, to engage in individual private practice. By 2020, all primary healthcare institutions across the province will be capable of providing TCM services. It also calls for the Pearl River Delta region and the eastern, western, and northern parts of Guangdong to develop various types of health services tailored to local conditions, fostering interactive cycles and building diversified clusters of health service industries with distinct characteristics. By 2020, the total scale of the health service industry is expected to reach approximately RMB 1 trillion.

NDRC’s Key Focus on Drug Price Supervision in the Second Half of the Year: Closely Monitoring Blood Products and a Few Low-Cost MedicinesLast week, the official website of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) published an article titled “New Achievements in Anti-Monopoly and Market Price Supervision,” which summarized the price supervision work conducted in the first half of the year. Notably, the organization and implementation of special inspections on drug prices emerged as a key highlight of these efforts. The NDRC collaborated to advance reforms in drug pricing, employing measures such as market patrols, convening symposiums with industry associations, and issuing warnings and guidance in key areas. These initiatives aimed to remind business operators to conduct their activities in an honest, compliant, and law-abiding manner, thereby ensuring that drug prices remained fundamentally stable following the liberalization of price controls.

The next key priority will remain closely monitoring market price dynamics for pharmaceuticals, particularly for blood products and a limited number of low-cost drugs. We will continue to organize and conduct special inspections on drug pricing to prevent and curb arbitrary price hikes and unauthorized charges by pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and medical institutions taking advantage of drug pricing reforms, thereby maintaining orderly pricing in the pharmaceutical market.

Data

Global pharmaceutical sales to reach $1.3 trillion in 2018:Thomson Reuters’ Annual CMR Factbook notes that 46 new molecular entities were approved for marketing in developed countries in 2014, far exceeding the number in any year since 2005. Meanwhile, 2014 was also a remarkable year in terms of sales, with $1 trillion in revenue challenging those who hold a pessimistic view of the pharmaceutical industry.

The report also highlights that the therapeutic areas of newly launched drugs are encouraging: one-third are for rare diseases, and two-thirds are specialty drugs for conditions such as cancer and hepatitis C. The market prices of many drugs have also been strikingly high. Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo, along with Gilead Sciences’ flagship hepatitis C treatments, Sovaldi and Harvoni, have all played significant roles in driving up drug expenditures.

All of this has opened up a healthy landscape for the pharmaceutical industry: sales in 2018 are projected to reach $1.3 trillion, a 25% increase from last year’s $1.04 trillion.

Total Number of Registered Licensed Pharmacists in China Surpasses 200,000:Last Monday, the Chinese Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Certification Center released the "National Licensed Pharmacist Registration Status for July 2015." The data showed: 1. As of July 31, 2015, the number of registered licensed pharmacists nationwide surpassed the 200,000 mark, reaching 206,899. The number in social pharmacies increased by 13,823, and the total number of registrations increased by 14,485 compared to June 2015. 2. By the end of July 2015, there were 169,460 licensed pharmacists registered in social pharmacies, a month-on-month increase of 13,823. Licensed pharmacists registered in social pharmacies accounted for 81.9% of the total registered population. Only Tianjin and Shanghai met the staffing standards for licensed pharmacists in social pharmacies, with rates of 111.2% and 137%, respectively. 3. As of the end of May this year, the total number of retail pharmacies was 438,745, with the number of independent pharmacies decreasing by 8,209.

New Technologies

Russian Scientists Develop Microsensors Capable of Diagnosing Cancer
Researchers Dmitry Fedyanin and Yuri Stebnov from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed an ultra-sensitive nanomechanical sensor capable of analyzing the chemical composition of substances. According to its description, the device can detect markers for viral diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, and herpes. It can also identify tumor markers; researchers note that, compared with other currently known methods, it enables the diagnosis of cancer onset and growth at an earlier stage.

Controlling Smartphones via Skin Sensors
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Germany have developed a unique electronic film called iSkin, which utilizes pressure-sensitive sensors and can be applied directly to human skin. Made from silicone rubber and medical-grade adhesives, iSkin can be stretched or bent to conform to the body’s contours and can also be easily removed from the device.

This flexible thin-film design clearly holds great promise for widespread use in smart jewelry and smart clothing, making its development and applications well worth monitoring. Previously, we have seen patch-style wearable products such as the AmpStrip activity tracker; however, the original intent of this research was actually to develop a type of “skin” for robots.

Nanosensors Enable Rapid Testing of Microorganisms in Food
Optokey, a company based in Hayward, California, has developed a miniature Raman spectroscopy-based sensor capable of rapidly and accurately detecting substances at the molecular level. In plain terms, it can quickly and accurately test whether your food contains deadly microorganisms.



 

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