AstraZeneca pledges holistic disease management and supports Chinese medicines

With an aging population and growing incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases in China, AstraZeneca is stepping up by cooperating with local companies to address unmet medical needs and raise the level of diagnosis and effective treatment in the country.

Last week, a joint project called "Chinese Medicine for Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Health" (CMCVH) was launched by the China Association of Chinese Medicine, China Health Promotion Foundation, People's Daily Online and supported by AstraZeneca.

The project aims to use the advantages of Chinese medicine in preventing and treating chronic diseases and enhance the country's capability to manage cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

"For 27 years in China, AstraZeneca has been following a patient-centric philosophy, focusing on disease areas with pressing unmet needs. We make every effort to explore high-quality pharmaceutical resources and provide suitable solutions to meet patient needs and cater to the cultural requirements as well," said Michael Lai, general manager of AstraZeneca China.

Among common chronic diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases have the highest fatality rate in China, accounting for 41 percent of all-cause deaths. China's cardiovascular mortality rate continues to rise, with about 3.5 million deaths per year, or nearly one every 10 seconds .

The CMCVH project aims to improve the screening of patients by boosting the capabilities of both Chinese medicine hospitals and Western medicine hospitals. It will also provide training programs for large hospitals, communities, as well as primary care institutions - such as township health centers - to help improve these capabilities and take advantage of the integration of Chinese and Western medicine.

"Due to a lack of sufficient and scientific evidence-based data, previously there were certain challenges in promoting Chinese medicine clinically and the integration of Chinese and Western medicine. With the launch of this project, evidence-based data of Chinese medicine being used in the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases will continue to improve. It will help practitioners of Western medicine better understand and recognize the value of Chinese medicine in the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases," said Zhang Yun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Cardiovascular therapy is one of AstraZeneca's key business areas in China. The company's cardiovascular team has become one of the largest in China with more than 5,000 employees. It has strong scientific promotion expertise as well as an extensive business network across industries.

According to Lai, the company has been using various resources to provide holistic disease management solutions of prevention, diagnosis and treatment in the field of cardiovascular diseases. The company will continue to invest in this area by partnering with more local companies that can provide high-quality products and solutions that meet all kinds of patient needs, which are not only therapeutic but cultural requirements.

AstraZeneca's broad coverage and deep market penetration, covering major hospitals, community health centers, county-level hospitals, township clinics, and retail pharmacies mean it's well-poised to support the efforts to promote suitable China-specific solutions and concepts in the primary care level, including Chinese medicines.