AstraZeneca pledges holistic disease management and supports Chinese medicines

The company's efforts in the cardiovascular therapeutic area was strengthened in January 2019 when it signed an agreement with Luye Pharma to gain the exclusive rights to promote a patented Chinese medicine, a natural lipid-regulating drug, in the Chinese mainland. In August 2019, the collaboration expanded into the international market with exclusive promotion rights in Singapore.

"Our extensive network and deep understanding of the needs of patients and healthcare professionals has enabled us to further increase the accessibility of this modern Chinese medicine so as to benefit more patients who need it. In China, more than four million patients have been treated and benefited by the patented Chinese medicine. This represents a growth of more than 40 percent compared with the numbers prior to our partnership," Lai said.

"Chinese medicine has its uniqueness and advantages in preventing and treating chronic diseases, especially from the primary care perspective, in the context of the aging population and the growing incidence of chronic diseases," he added.

AstraZeneca is a leading multinational pharmaceutical company that has been exploring complete disease management solutions in China, especially in the cardiovascular disease area. With an extensive product portfolio in cardiovascular disease, AstraZeneca hopes to strengthen its foothold with expanded partnerships with solution providers and stakeholders from various sectors.

Building up a system to include medical services, products and solutions together is a crucial step and a major strategy for AstraZeneca in China. This also applies to a major disease area such as cardiovascular disease.

The company is trying to bring together businesses involving pharmacy, diagnosis, equipment and digitalization areas, covering different stages in complete disease management. These businesses will then form a strong bond with AstraZeneca's upgrade from a traditional pharmaceutical company to an innovative platform company that provides holistic disease management solutions.

Its latest partnership in the cardiovascular disease area, initiated in late April, also includes the promotion of an electrocardiography home monitoring solution for patients who have received percutaneous coronary intervention treatment.

AstraZeneca is committed to become a key contributor of China's health care landscape by offering locally initiated and innovative solutions for local customers, which will eventually benefit patients through a combination of commercial resources and expertise in both pharma and holistic solutions.