CDF Voice｜Christophe Weber：China has achieved results in patient access to innovative therapies

The “CDF Voice” column aims to bring together business leaders and convey the voices of the forum delegates.

Since its launch in 2000, CDF have upheld its mandate of “Engaging with the world for common prosperity”.

At present, the economic recovery is still fragile, and the impact of the COVID-19 and geopolitical crisis is continuing. Although China’s economic recovery is improving, lackluster demand, slow recovery in labor market and global supply chain adjustments and other pressures are still present.

The world is experiencing unprecedented change, how do foreign enterprises in China view China's development? How can foreign enterprises grasp the opportunities and challenges in the Chinese market? What insights do they have about China's future economic recovery and social development?

As the 2023 annual meeting of the China Development Forum is about to be held, the "CDF Voice" column invites representatives of global enterprises to discuss the above topics.

The guest of CDF Voice today is Christophe Weber，CEO of Takeda.

On behalf of Takeda, I would like to thank the China Development Forum for inviting me to participate in this important event.

I am pleased to join biopharmaceutical leaders from all over the world who are developing new medicines with the potential to support China’s healthcare objectives and improve patient lives.

Takeda is a global, values-based, digital biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering life-transforming treatment options to patients globally.

In China, we have seen significant progress toward accelerating access to these treatments. I’m confident in China’s commitment to improving the health of its population and that this is a critical part of the country’s successful modernization efforts.We share your commitment. Better health for people is Takeda’s purpose and we’re very pleased that three Takeda medicines – two in oncology, one in rare disease – were added to the 2022 National Reimbursement Drug List.

More recently, on January 11, EXKIVITY was officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration. This is an important breakthrough for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and a proud moment for all of us at Takeda.

In fact, we’re on track to launch more than 15 innovative medicines by 2024. We look forward to continuing our work in China to ensure the patients who need our medicines can access them.As we look ahead to our post-pandemic future, I see three important priorities for healthcare systems worldwide.

First, it will be critical for healthcare systems to be more sustainable and resilient.

Universal healthcare systems around the world are faced with financial challenges as inflation and the increased cost of healthcare is not matched with sustainable funding. This leads to fees, salaries and price containment measures, which in many cases are not sustainable, and it is critical that we come together to address the needs of both growing and aging populations.

Crucial to system resiliency will be dedicated funding to address specific public health challenges. For example, an estimated 20 million patients and families in China suffer from the impact of a rare disease. The establishment of a national funding pool for rare disease patients would help minimize the copay burden.

At Takeda, we believe value-based healthcare is a framework to build more sustainable healthcare systems by transitioning from fee for service model to an outcome based model – powered by data, digital and technology.

A successful transition to a values-based system will not be simple:To make it work, we will need to consistently measure health outcomes and allocate resources according to the greatest benefit to patients.

Additionally, collaboration and partnerships will be key to identifying opportunities and harnessing the power of data and technological advances.If we work together with a shared vision of building a more sustainable and resilient healthcare system, we can drive innovation benefitting not only China, but patients throughout the world.

Second we must leverage the power of data, digital and technology to improve outcomes for patients.In order to do that we must work together to foster innovation at the global and local level.

In 2021 we launched “TakedaSpark” in China, which is an open innovation incubator aiming to explore new healthcare solutions through a co-creation model leveraging the local innovation ecosystem.

To date, TakedaSpark has attracted over 200 domestic ventures and conducted 12 Proof of Concept projects in three focus areas: digital therapeutics, early screening & diagnostics and medical smart services to provide innovative healthcare services to patients and healthcare professionals.By working with Chinese companies who have demonstrated world class leadership in digital, we hope to provide patients and providers with digital tools that give them more control over their life and work.

At Takeda, we’ve been investing in data and technology as a foundational capability in our strategy. It has transformed the way we work across our entire value chain and better enables us to achieve our vision of bringing better health for people and a brighter future for the world.

Third, we must work together to reinforce prevention as a cost-effective way to address growing threats to public health.

Global warming is at the top of the agenda for governments, industry leaders and the public. But an under-reported result of global warming is the rapid spread of potentially deadly mosquito-borne diseases.

Our dengue vaccine has been approved and launched in several countries and is part of Takeda’s commitment to addressing one of the greatest public health threats of our time.

A public health challenge more specific to China is the rapidly increasing cases of gastric cancer.With that in mind, we have offered our support to develop a comprehensive nationwide prevention and control system that includes Helicobacter pylori screening, early diagnosis of gastric cancer and resources for research and development.

However, the efforts of a single company aren’t enough to address the rising number of public health issues we face. Major scientific breakthroughs and the development of impactful public health policy will require still greater collaboration between industry and government.

Over the past 20 years, CDF has played a significant role in deepening the international community's understanding of China and opportunities for collaboration.

After 3 years of COVID impact and sustained willingness to modernize healthcare in China, this year’s CDF event is particularly timely.I look forward to learning more about China's progress in economic development, medical and scientific innovation, and other fields.

Thank you again and I will speak with you more during this week’s discussions at CDF.