Veeva Systems Unveils China-Focused Life Sciences Industry Cloud to Empower Pharma Digital Transformation

On November 2, Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV), a global innovator of cloud software for the life sciences industry, held the “Be Friends with Time with Veeva” 2023 Veeva China Commercial and Medical Summit in Shanghai.

Dozens of senior executives from leading pharmaceutical companies attended the event, sharing insights on topics such as digital innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, commercial marketing operations, and successful practices in digital marketing system platforms. Hundreds of professionals from various fields within the pharmaceutical industry, including SFE, IT, sales, compliance, marketing, medical affairs, DPO, and information security, gathered at the event to jointly discuss new trends in the digital development of China’s pharmaceutical industry.

Ding Xiaofeng, General Manager of Veeva China, stated in his conference address that over the past 12 years, Veeva has maintained a deep-rooted presence in the Chinese market, continuously developing its China Industry Cloud and investing in local product lines. The Veeva China Industry Cloud encompasses both the China R&D Cloud and the China Commercial Cloud, providing pharmaceutical companies with an integrated, end-to-end cloud solution to support the digital innovation and upgrading of China’s pharmaceutical industry.

As an industry solutions provider serving over 1,200 life sciences companies worldwide, Veeva was founded in 2007 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013. In 2021, Veeva became the first U.S. publicly traded company to convert into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

Currently, 47 of the world’s top 50 pharmaceutical companies are using Veeva’s products. From ultra-large clients and the top ten pharmaceutical giants to mid-sized customers and startups, Veeva comprehensively serves all customer segments within the industry.

Veeva entered China in 2011 and currently serves more than 110 multinational and domestic pharmaceutical clients in the Chinese market, with branches and offices established in Beijing, Dalian, Chengdu, and other cities. This year, Veeva’s China team expanded by nearly 40%, with R&D staff increasing by almost 50%. Driven by significant investments in China’s industry cloud market, Veeva’s business in China has continued to grow.

“Since entering the Chinese market, Veeva has adhered to its long-term commitment to building an Industry Cloud for China’s life sciences sector. Accordingly, development of Veeva China SFA, a dedicated product line tailored for the local market, began in 2016,” said Ding Xiaofeng. He explained that Veeva’s Industry Cloud in China spans the entire lifecycle of biopharmaceutical enterprises—from drug R&D and manufacturing to commercialization and marketing—providing pharmaceutical companies with an integrated, end-to-end cloud solution.

Integrating software, data, and services into a unified solution, Veeva leverages the synergistic interplay of its next-generation commercial excellence marketing platform, Veeva China SFA; its data management service, Veeva OpenData; and its business consulting service, Veeva Business Consulting. This integrated approach enhances efficiency and helps pharmaceutical companies manage the entire drug launch and marketing lifecycle in compliance with regulations and through digital transformation in the Chinese market.

After seven years of refinement, Veeva China SFA now boasts a product R&D team of over 150 members, continuously iterating based on the needs of the Chinese market, clients, and target users. The platform releases new versions 12 times a year, with hundreds of functional updates; in 2022 alone, more than 400 localized features were added.

The product functional modules of Veeva China SFA empower pharmaceutical companies in three core application scenarios for digital marketing: the core CRM platform, the full-lifecycle meeting management platform, and the multi-channel digital engagement platform. Through China SFA, Veeva can provide pharmaceutical companies with:

· Empowering pharmaceutical companies to rapidly deploy digital marketing solutions at low cost, achieving cost reduction and efficiency improvement

· Meet the regulatory requirements of multinational pharmaceutical company headquarters and the agile needs of local operations, driving commercial success

· Empower multinational pharmaceutical companies to proactively address compliance requirements such as PIPL and CBDT, ensuring secure and compliant data operations

How to simultaneously meet the needs of multinational pharmaceutical companies and local pharmaceutical companies in the Chinese market? In an interview, Ding Xiaofeng stated that Veeva willA Tailored Solution for the Chinese Market—Veeva China SFA, the Next-Generation Commercial Excellence Marketing Platform, Positioned as “Simplified Integration, Seamless Interconnectivity, and Frictionless Compliance”：

“Whether for multinational pharmaceutical companies or domestic ones, building information and digital management systems is a process of starting from scratch. Many multinational pharmaceutical companies have undergone years of digital infrastructure development in China, continuously adding modules and patches, resulting in an increasing number of systems and more complex application scenarios. Simplification and integration mean streamlining operations, enabling agility and faster adaptation to market changes. Veeva’s next-generation commercial marketing and operations platform will serve as a super entry point for pharmaceutical companies, providing one-click access and integrated applications, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership.”

“In the post-pandemic era, online work models have gradually become habitual, and normalized communication channels among pharmaceutical companies’ internal teams, sales representatives, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) have been progressively established. Leveraging China’s internet ecosystem, Veeva has forged a deep, product-level partnership with WeCom to rapidly enable omnichannel engagement with HCPs. This integration embeds functionalities such as Tencent Meetings, conversation archiving, content compliance, and material sharing, aligning closely with the Chinese market and local user preferences.”

“Building on a critical foundation of compliance, Veeva has pioneered the concept of ‘seamless compliance.’ In practice, we customize and expand our engine library according to client needs. This library incorporates numerous compliance rules and functional checkpoints. Integrated with the software, the system automatically verifies and audits front-end content workflows, delivering a smooth user experience and robust back-end management.”

“The continuous improvement of Veeva China SFA is, in essence, a process through which Veeva upholds product excellence as its core vitality, constantly iterating, optimizing, and reinventing itself,” mentioned Ding Xiaofeng. He noted that many multinational pharmaceutical companies have completed the migration and upgrade from the international version (Veeva CRM) to the Chinese version (Veeva China SFA) within the past two years.

In addition to serving multinational pharmaceutical companies, Veeva also serves several leading domestic pharmaceutical companies in China. Ding Xiaofeng introduced that theseLeading pharmaceutical companies are advancing rapidly in commercialization and global expansion, creating an urgent need for mature digital platforms to support their global business layout and management.

Meanwhile, Chinese pharmaceutical companies expanding overseas also require the global commercialization expertise of multinational corporations (MNCs). With 16 years of collaboration with leading MNCs, Veeva can leverage this experience to empower Chinese pharmaceutical companies. As products prepare for global market launch, assessments of unfamiliar markets, data support, and channel research are essential tasks for these companies. In this regard, Veeva’s global market experience will once again provide valuable support.

“Veeva China SFA is currently Veeva’s only single-market, locally developed product line in the global market. However, whether for multinational pharmaceutical companies or domestic ones, Veeva provides comprehensive services that seamlessly connect the Chinese market with the global market. With one hand addressing innovation and demands in the Chinese market, and the other closely aligning with global governance and strategic layout, all built upon Veeva’s proud Industry Cloud, this reflects Veeva’s long-standing commitment to continuously contributing to the industry,” said Ding Xiaofeng.