Inter-market coordination is helping close the gap in cardiovascular disease treatments, said Zafer Unluer, senior vice president of Organon at the ongoing ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.
As a healthcare company focused on women's health, Organon China has participated in the CIIE for years. Unluer said his company has been working through the expo to bring affordable, high-quality treatments closer to Chinese patients.
"Our objectives are very closely aligned with the government's objectives: it's to bring equity to the patients -- affordable and high-quality treatments. Our job is to capture the disease before it accumulates. And equity to healthcare starts with maybe the last mile. The last step matters the most, meaning that the access to the healthcare in county hospitals, in community health centers, that the convenience and reaching the patients where they are, and reducing that barrier in terms of access and affordability, is a very critical factor," said Unluer.
Unluer applauded the Chinese government's efforts to significantly reduce patients' treatment costs, including updating the national medical insurance drug list.
He said inter-market coordination by companies like his is helping close the gap in cardiovascular disease treatment.
"Cardiovascular disease is the top reason for the number of deaths around the world, and when we look into the hyperlipidemia disease, I think we can say that the lower, the longer is better. And when we look at the momentum on this disease area for the last three years, I think we all observe there is significant progress that's happening here in China. So what we do here, also in coordination with the other markets, is understanding the best practices in those markets, bringing some of those best practices here in China, and giving our best practices to the other Asian markets. Just closing this gap. And this current momentum that we have observed in the last three years in the cardiovascular disease area, particularly on hyperlipidemia, gives me great hope also for the future in terms of what can be achieved together with our partners, customers under the government's direction," said Unluer.
Running from Nov 5 to 10, the event has brought together thousands of global businesses, with a dedicated medical and healthcare exhibition area showcasing the latest innovations in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital healthcare.
The area highlights the role of innovation in advancing healthcare and improving access to quality medical services.
Inter-market coordination helps close gap in cardiovascular disease treatments: Organon executive
