China to increase organ transplantation hospitals as voluntary donation tops Asia
China seeks to increase the number of hospitals habilitated to carry out organ transplant surgeries from 169 to 300 in the upcoming five years. The number of donation coordinators, whose role is to convince relatives of potential donors to help with the donation process will also double by the same occasion. China has started a voluntary organ donation trial in 2010 and had promoted the practice since 2013. In 2015, 2,766 people donated major organs to be used after their death, which doubles the number in 2014. Today, China has the most registered organ donors in Asia and ranked second in terms of organ donors globally. Click here for the full article.
New wave of Chinese ‘medical tourist’ to Australia thanks to tech start-up
A start-up company, Coviu, backed by the Common wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has entered a Memorandum of Agreement with SunWo Medical Management, a Chinese medical tourism provider. SunWo and Coviu will use online video conferencing software to connect patients with doctors from China to Australia. Their collaboration will give patients and doctors to live-share medical data and imaging during consultations. According to SunWo’s Chief Operating Officer, Ben Chan, the platform would result in further increase of Chinese medical tourists coming to Australia, as they would have a more comprehensive idea of their treatment. Click here for the full article
AstraZeneca expands investment in Wuxi
AstraZeneca China’s Chief Finance Officer had meetings with Wuxi National Hi-tech District (WND) on May 11th, about strengthening their cooperation and investment in the city of Wuxi. AstraZeneca is one of the world’s largest suppliers of prescription drugs and medical services, signed the cooperation memorandum with Wuxi National Hi-tech District (WND) on April 28, adding a further 326 million yuan ($50 million) in investment to build its R&D center and production base in WND. AstraZeneca is said to be dedicated to promote local innovation and to boost regional economic development. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant has established a production, trade and distribution base in Wuxi, accumulating a total investment exceeding $555 million and contributing nearly $1.6 billion in tax. Click here for the full article.
GE Healthcare Co. bets on long-term growth in Chinese biopharmaceutical sector
General Electric Healthcare Co., leader in the high-end medical devices market, is planning to shift the production of some of its biological products to China from the USA and Europe, as the Chinese market for biological medicine and devices in the biopharmaceutical sector is expected to grow significantly. GE Healthcare recently unveiled its first modular biopharmaceutical factory in Wuhan, Hebei, composed of 62 modules. Local manufacturing will reduce the price of therapies for deadly diseases like cancer, a leading cause of death in China. As of last year, China counts about 4.3 million new cancer cases. The global biological medicine market’s worth is currently estimated to be $200 billion, taking up 20 percent of the overall medicine market, and the biological medicine sector sees a growth rate of around 10 percent to 12 percent annually. In China, where biological medicine currently takes only 4 percent of the domestic medicine market, the growth rate is seen as being exponential in coming years. By 2019, the biological medicine market in China is expected to reach $350 million, surging from $44 million in 2009. Click here for the full article.