Co-hosted by China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association (PhIRDA), Chinese Hospital Association (CHA), China Association for Medical Devices Industry (CAMDI) and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), 2018 China BioMed Innovation and Investment Conference (2018 CBIIC) was successfully held in September 18 in Suzhou Industrial Park.

As a high-level platform for the communication of pharmaceutical innovators and investors, 2018 CBIIC adheres to the principle of facilitating the combination of social capital and pharmaceutical innovation to enhance the innovative ability of the pharmaceutical industry and build an authorized platform of collaboration and integration for pharmaceutical innovative enterprises, investors and capital at home and abroad.

SONG Ruilin, Executive Chairman of the CBIIC Organizing Committee and the Executive President of PhRIDA chaired the First Session of Opening Ceremony. LIU Dianbo, Chairman of PhIRDA and President of Luye Life Science Group and YANG Zhiping, Vice Mayor of Suzhou delivered welcome remarks and wished a success of the 2018 CBIIC.

LIU Dianbo, Chairman of PhIRDA and President of Luye Life Science Group stated in his remarks that China’s pharmaceutical industry has gone through a complete change in recent years. Many excellent Chinese pharmaceutical innovation enterprises has been established and the regulation system of pharmaceutical industry in China has been fully integrated with international standards. Pharmaceutical innovation in China has entered into the best era of combining the capital, industry and innovation together.

YANG Zhiping, Vice Mayor of Suzhou stated that up to 2017, the output value of Suzhou Industrial Park had reached 61.5 billion RMB. Suzhou Industrial Park and The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory signed a 10-year Cooperation Agreement on September 17 to set up Academic Center on the basis of Cold Spring Harbor Asia Conferences and Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center.

SONG Ruilin, Executive President of PhIRDA

LIU Dianbo, Chairman of PhIRDA and President of Luye Life Science Group

YANG Zhiping, Vice Mayor of Suzhou

I. Explore the Global Trend of Pharmaceutical Innovation R&D

FANG Laiying, Vice President of Chinese Hospital Association (CHA) chaired the Session on Exploring the Global Trend of Pharmaceutical Innovation R&D.

FANG Laiying, Vice President of Chinese Hospital Association (CHA)

HE Wei, Vice Chairperson of CPPCC National Committee, attended the Conference and delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Cell Therapy -- Pharmacological Intervention Enters a Third Era”. Prof. He introduced the history, characteristics and trend of development of the three eras of pharmacological intervention and his expectation on the future of cell therapy. He also analyzed the pathway to accelerate China’s pharmaceutical innovation in the third era of pharmacological intervention (cell therapy). He pointed that China must seize the historical opportunity in new era and new area to make good use of the advantages of the current regulation systems on clinical trial technology and drugs to explore the immunocytotherapy and benefit the public with integrated treatments.

Prof. HE Wei, Vice Chairperson of CPPCC National Committee

Dr. CHEN Lieping, Professor of Immunobiology, Dermatology and Medical Oncology at the Yale School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Yale Cancer Center delivered a keynote speech on “Cancer Immunotherapy: The End of Beginning”. He introduced two different cancer therapies, enhancement and normalization. Then Dr. CHEN made a comparison between the 2 therapies and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of them. He stated that the era of immunotherapy just began, the next step would be to discover the mechanism of cancer immunotherapy which could point out the direction for the future research.

Dr. CHEN Lieping, Professor of Immunobiology, Dermatology and Medical Oncology at the Yale School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Yale Cancer Center

WANG Xiaodong, Member of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Foreign Associate of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Founder of BeiGene, Ltd., chaired the panel of the Global Trends on Pharmaceutical Innovation R&D. HE Wei, CHEN Lieping, JIANG Hualiang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2015-2016 Annual Chairman of PhIRDA, and Director of Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica at Chinese Academy of Sciences, and JIANG Jiandong, 2017-2018 Annual Chairman of PhIRDA, and Director of Institute of Materia Medica at Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences took part in the panel and had a fruitful discussion on the standardization of cell therapy in the future, trend of global pharmaceutical development and how to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation in China.

Panel on Global Trends on Pharmaceutical Innovation R&D
Middle: Prof. HE Wei
First Row: WANG Xiaodong (left), CHEN Lieping (right)
Second Row: JIANG Hualiang (left), JIANG Jiandong (right)

II. Dialogue between Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment

SONG Ruilin, Executive Chairman of the CBIIC Organizing Committee and the Executive President of PhRIDA chaired the Session of Dialogue between Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment.

Charles LI, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) made a keynote speech on “Launch of New HKEX Biotech Chapter”. Charles LI introduced the concept of the New HKEX Biotech Chapter, which meant that pre-revenue biotech companies with certain market capitalization are allowed to be listed in Hong Kong market. He pointed out that with the improvement of regulatory environment of social capital and investors’ awareness on the importance of capital, a financial pattern that benefited the development of Chinese biotech should be found.

Charles LI, Chief Executive of HKEX

CHEN Dongsheng, Chairman & CEO of Taikang Insurance Group delivered a keynote speech on “Commercial Insurance and the Development of Big Health Industry”. CHEN Dongsheng introduced the status of medical insurance industry in China and U.S. and pointed out that the improvement of medical insurance level is the power house of Chinese Comprehensive Health Strategy. CHEN Dongsheng also stated that using commercial insurance to optimize the social security system and Supply-side Structural Reform for ensuring process of the “Healthy China” Strategy would become of great importance.

CHEN Dongsheng, Chairman & CEO of Taikang Insurance Group

Martin Dewhurst, Senior Partner of McKinsey's London Office and Leader of McKinsey’s Global Pharmaceutical and Medical Products Practice delivered a keynote speech on “The Vitality of Global and China Pharmaceutical Innovation”. He introduced the status of pharmaceutical development in Asia-Pacific region on a global view and analyzed the effects that population, aging problems, illness and scientific innovation had on pharmaceutical industry. He stated that developing Chinese biopharmaceutical technology, clinical trials and talents training would become the major issues of Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

Martin Dewhurst, Senior Partner of McKinsey's London Office and Leader of McKinsey’s Global Pharmaceutical and Medical Products Practice

After the speeches, TIAN Yuan, Chairman of PhIRDA Pharmaceutical Innovation Investment Specialty Committee and Founding Partner of Yuanming Capital chaired the panel of “Dialogue between Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment”. Charles LI, CHEN Dongsheng, Martin Dewhurst, representatives from pharmaceutical companies and experienced investors took part in the panel and had a fruitful discussion on how to stimulate the domestic pharmaceutical innovation by using the advantages of social capital.

Panel on the Dialogue between Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment
First Row: TIAN Yuan (Left), Charles LI (Right)
Second Row: CHEN Dongsheng (Left), CHEN Qiyu (Right)
Third Row: REN Jinsheng (Left), CAI Dajian (Right)
Fourth Row: Houston HUANG (Left), Martin Dewhurst (Right)

The Opening Ceremony of 2018 CBIIC received great attention and praise worldwide and also drawn more than 2000 participants from over 700 pharmaceutical enterprises and investment institutions. Representatives from Spring Nature, one of the most influential media in international scientific research, and journalists from more than 30 traditional and new media attended the conference and wrote reports.