CIIE boosts pharma and health-care firms confidence

Leading pharmaceutical and health-care companies have gained confidence from the positive results from previous editions of the China International Import Expo, and are pledging further investment to introduce innovative products.

The speeding up of the approval process for new medicines in China is a strong boost for multinationals. They regard the CIIE as an ideal platform to share latest research results and showcase cutting-edge solutions.

On the national level, various measures have been put in place to speed up of medicines with a unique mechanism or targeting urgent medical needs.

Li Li, head of the National Medical Products Administration, told a recent media briefing that in the first eight months this year, it approved 31 innovative medicines and 46 medical devices, adding 19 percent and 12 percent from the year-earlier period.

A latest trial policy from the administration seeks to further elevate the efficiency of clinical trials, and it aims to complete the review of clinical trial applications for investigative new medicines in 30 working days.

Boehringer Ingelheims Spevigo intravenous injection for the rare skin disease generalized pustular psoriasis was approved in 2022 and became available for Chinese patients in 2023 following its debut at the 2020 CIIE.

In March, the Spevigo subcutaneous injection became the first globally innovative drug developed by a multinational pharmaceutical company to receive approval in China ahead of other major markets.

The company hopes to continue to expand investment in new medicines research and development and expects 25 approvals in human pharma by 2030.

US-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences expects four oncology treatment indications to gain China approval in the next three to four years, and innovative therapies in the fields of virology, oncology and mycology will be exhibited during the expo.

Its antifungal medication AmBisome was approved for marketing in China following its 2022 appearance at the expo.

Tevas rare disease medicine Austedo for adult Huntingtons disease and tardive dyskinesia has been showcased at the previous two editions of CIIE and in January last year it successfully renewed its listing in Chinas National Reimbursement Drug List.

Earlier this year, it also reached a distribution agreement with Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co Ltd for the medicine in the local market to improve accessibility.

In the medical device field, Abbotts AVEIR VR single-chamber leadless pacemaker, which made its China debut at the CIIE in 2022, is already commercially available in the domestic market, and the first batch of implant procedures were completed earlier this year.

The FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system was introduced at the CIIE in 2020, and its product portfolio has been expanding since then, including the launch of the FreeStyle LibreLink app in 2021, the LibreLinkUp app in 2022, and the FreeStyle Libre WeChat mini-app in 2023.

This year, it will showcase an upgraded version including bluetooth connection and customizable real-time glucose alarms.

Eyecare and eyeswear group EssilorLuxotticas Essilor Stellest lens to correct vision and slow the progression of childrens myopia made its global debut during the 2020 CIIE, and it has since accelerated local production and also entered major hospitals and key retail optical stores across the country.

KL Lim, head of professional solutions at EssilorLuxottica China, said: "Past years at CIIE have given us firsthand experience that the event serves as a magnificent stage where innovative technologies flourish, and it also helps us transform cutting-edge research into effective vision solutions."