Sanofi committed to speedy release of new medicines

At the first China International Import Expo, Sanofi, the world’s leading health care company, said on Wednesday during the China Health Road Symposium, that it will introduce the drugs and vaccines exhibited at the import expo to China as early as possible.

The company will collaborate with its partners to bring these new drugs to Chinese patients, with a focus on community health centers and county hospitals.

“As one of the first multinational pharma companies making presence in China, Sanofi has always been committed to playing an active role in the country’s health care ecosystem over the past 36 years.” Jean-Christophe Pointeau, country chair of Sanofi China, said.

Innovation

At the symposium, Sanofi showed how the new drugs and vaccines were developed. One of the behind-the-scene stories which received significant attention was that of Aubagio, launched just prior to the expo.

Aubagio is the first oral new drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in China. In the past, it usually took a few years for an original new drug to go through all application processes to get listing approval. In May 2018, multiple sclerosis was included on the “First List of Rare Diseases” in China. Thanks to the new policy support, it set a record for the fastest launch of a rare-disease drug in China.

“We sincerely thank the Chinese government for its determination and effort to accelerate the approval of innovative drugs, and we pay tribute to all experts, especially health care practitioners, for their consistent support. We will gear up the introduction of innovative drugs and vaccines in China, and catch up with Europe and the United States in the listing schedules to benefit as many Chinese patients as possible,” Pointeau said.

By 2025, at least 16 new products and indications are expected to have been launched in China.

Partnership

Debuting these new drugs at the import expo is just the first step. At Wednesday’s symposium, Sanofi and its partners explored how medicines, vaccines and services can be adapted to the needs of community health centers and county hospitals.

Representatives from the China Preventive Medicine Association, the Association of China County Hospital Presidents, and county-level health bureaus shared their own stories and feelings about being the “gatekeepers.”

As the first multinational pharmaceutical enterprise to elevate county-level primary health care in 2011, Sanofi is responding to the call of central and local governments, collaborating with industrial societies and associations in a wide range of areas. It teamed up with the National Health Commission stroke prevention project committee and the Association of China County Hospital Presidents to build a national network for prevention and control of strokes and chest pain.

Commitment

Apart from building a presence in county-level hospitals, Sanofi is also paving the health road in thousands of community health centers across the country.

Professor Zhu Shanzhu, director of the Shanghai medical school department of general medicine, and Song Jianling, a general practitioner at the Changfeng community health service center in Putuo, joined their patients to share stories about GPs and families.

Prior to the import expo, Sanofi launched the China Health Road Program with the support of its headquarters. The program targets primary care and provides long-term training for GPs.

At the end of the symposium, Pointeau led the company’s China management team to place an “In China, for China” seal on a scroll.

He said, “Sanofi greatly appreciates President Xi’s confidence in bolstering opening-up and fostering collaboration at the CIIE opening ceremony. As the world’s leading health care company and an outstanding corporate citizen, Sanofi, together with our 9,500 employees, will be dedicated to our mission and strive to safeguard the health of Chinese people.”