The 7th China International Import Expo: Leading global pharmaceutical companies gather in Shanghai to showcase cutting-edge medical technology achievements

The 7th China International Import Expo will be held from November 5th to 10th, 2024 at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai). It is reported that the total area of the enterprise exhibition at this year's CIIE exceeds 360000 square meters, with 3496 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions participating. The number of countries (regions) and enterprises exceeds that of the previous edition, with 297 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders participating, setting a new historical high. 186 companies and institutions have become "all in attendance" for seven sessions.

With the theme of "New Era, Shared Future", this year's CIIE Enterprise Business Exhibition has set up six exhibition areas: food and agricultural products, automobiles, technological equipment, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare, and service trade. Innovative designs have been made in each exhibition area and zone. Among them, the medical device and healthcare exhibition area focuses on the forefront trends and hot topics of the global medical industry, showcasing internationally leading cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and services.

01 Global debut of innovative drugs

In the field of prescription drugs, multiple companies will bring their innovative drugs for global or Chinese debut.

Roche Pharmaceuticals has launched three globally innovative products that are about to be approved in China - Inavolisib, China's first and only PI3K alpha inhibitor; Lunsumio, the first CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody innovation drug for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma to be launched globally; and Ocrevus, the world's first and only drug approved for the treatment of both recurrent and progressive multiple sclerosis.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals' rare disease gene therapy BBM-H901 injection will be unveiled, which is a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy drug that has successfully submitted a new drug application for market launch. BBM-H901 is expected to lead China's hemophilia diagnosis and treatment into the era of gene therapy, rewriting the medication dilemma for hemophilia B patients. In addition, TAK-279 for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults and TAK-861 for episodic sleep disorder type 1 will also be showcased at the CIIE. In September 2024, the National Medical Products Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) announced on its official website that TAK-861 tablets have been included as breakthrough treatment varieties.

Pfizer brings four "debut debuts", including the world's first combination of β - lactam/β - lactam inhibitor for metal β - lactams (MBLs), Sifonor (injectable tranexamic avibactam sodium), a new dual mechanism PARP inhibitor in prostate cancer, Terazopanib capsules, a hemophilia therapy with a unique mechanism of action, Mataximab, and a bispecific antibody, Enatuzumab, targeting B cell mature antigen and CD3.

Novo Nordisk is about to bring four newly approved innovative drug preparations in China, including the world's first and currently only insulin weekly preparation, Ecoinsulin Injection; The world's first and only oral glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) for the treatment of adult type 2 diabetes; The world's first GLP-1RA for long-term weight management; The first and currently the only long-acting recombinant coagulation factor VIII in China - injectable prothrombin A.

02 Frontier Display of Medical Devices

In terms of medical devices, global pharmaceutical giants have brought a series of innovative technology products such as global firsts, global debuts, Asian debuts, and Chinese debuts.

Fosun Pharma's "star product" Ion bronchoscope robot will make its debut at the CIIE after being approved for market in China. In 2019, Ion attracted the attention of the public as soon as it made its debut at the CIIE. With the help of the "spillover effect" of the CIIE, Ion was successfully approved by the National Medical Products Administration in 2024, approved for market launch, and achieved its first commercial installation and successful first commercial application in September. At present, some of the biopsy needles used in the Ion system have been localized, and the existing production capacity can meet 70% of the global market demand, truly achieving "Made in China, jointly developed, and sold globally". In addition, Fosun Medical Vision will bring the new V2 model of magnetic wave knife, which is the first exhibition in China; China's first CAR-T cell therapy product, Akilensai Injection, will also be showcased as a "star product" at the CIIE.

GE Healthcare will showcase over 30 products and technological applications that integrate global intelligence and Chinese innovation, including the research-oriented magnetic resonance imaging SIGNA Magnus, molecular imaging equipment MAX Apollo AI PET/CT, and obstetric ultrasound Voluson Signature 20. These products will focus on critical illness diagnosis, grassroots care, maternal and child care, integrated diagnosis and treatment, digital innovation, intelligent services, and overall solutions for equipment updates. Among them, 17 new products will be showcased for the first time, setting a record for GE Healthcare's participation in the CIIE in recent years.

Siemens Healthineers will showcase 7T Magnetic Resonance Magnetom Terra X. Exhibits include whole-body spatiotemporal sensing PET/CT Biograph Vision Quadra Aurora 2.0, integrated cardiovascular multimodal diagnosis and treatment platform, "dual robot" one-stop pulmonary nodule diagnosis and treatment solution, "AI integrated master" ultrasound system ACUSON Origin that redefines cardiovascular ultrasound imaging diagnosis, and four-dimensional intracardiac ultrasound catheter AcuNav Lumos.

03 From "exhibits" to "products"

In recent years, multinational pharmaceutical companies have continuously increased their attention to the Chinese market. Many global pharmaceutical companies have not only launched new drugs in the Chinese market, but also further increased their investment in research and development production in China, further consolidating the important position of the Chinese market in the global pharmaceutical industry chain. For multinational pharmaceutical companies, the CIIE is not only a stage to showcase their latest products, but also a "driver" and "incubator" to accelerate the introduction and implementation of innovative achievements. Many enterprises have achieved rapid transformation from exhibits to products through the CIIE platform, and have achieved significant commercial results in the Chinese market.

The spillover effect of the CIIE has shown particularly strong driving force in the pharmaceutical field. Not only has it accelerated the introduction and commercialization of global innovative drugs and equipment in China, but it has also promoted cooperation and innovation among domestic and foreign medical enterprises, enhanced the competitiveness of the domestic medical industry, brought more health choices and treatment plans to patients worldwide, and promoted the common development of the global pharmaceutical and health industry. Since the first CIIE in 2018, numerous multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies have achieved rapid transformation from exhibits to products through this platform, and have achieved significant commercial results in the Chinese market.

According to incomplete statistics, there are currently at least 150 cutting-edge pharmaceutical and device products worldwide that have become "Jinbo Baby". For example, since Boston Scientific participated in the exhibition, 21 products have leveraged the CIIE effect to accelerate the review and approval process, successfully achieving the transformation of exhibits into commodities; AstraZeneca has brought 11 "CIIE babies" through six editions, including Fulushi and Panfushu in the respiratory field, Airizol in the kidney disease field, Lingzeshu in the digestive field, Warisan, Uhode, and Kangkeqi in the tumor field, and Shulirui and Kesai Excellence in the rare disease field; From 2020 to 2024, Takeda has successfully approved and launched over 15 innovative products in China, covering the fields of oncology, digestion, and rare diseases.

I believe that in the current period of growth opportunities, with the help of the CIIE, China will further promote the common development of the global pharmaceutical and health industry, bring good news to domestic patients, and contribute to the construction of a healthy China.

Source: Medical Forum Network