Reporter: This year marks Sanofi's sixth participation in the China International Import Expo. What has been the main motivation for your consistent participation, and could you please share about the company's main business and its footprint in China?

Paul Hudson, chief executive officer of Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company: The CIIE provides Sanofi with an opportunity to deepen communication, reap the benefits of China's open market, and facilitate the rapid development of our innovative medicines.

Sanofi has been in China for over 40 years, and is currently operating 12 offices, three production bases, four research centers, and one digital innovation center. Since 2019, China has been a crucial market for Sanofi's global research and development, with 90 percent of our global R&D projects involving China as of July 2023. China is now Sanofi's second-largest market globally.

Reporter: What are Sanofi's thoughts about the CIIE?

Hudson: The CIIE is a high-standard global exhibition platform that connects China with the world. The expo provides us with a crucial window to observe China's industry needs and make investment decisions. It is an important platform for global enterprises to collaborate and seek mutual development.

Reporter: How has participating in the CIIE aided the company's business development?

Hudson: Over the years, we have transformed several of our exhibits, such as Dupixent®, Praluent®, and Soliqua®, into commodities through the CIIE.

Furthermore, the CIIE has provided opportunities for collaboration, leading to many new partnerships. For instance, at the fifth CIIE last year, Sanofi and JD Health forged a strategic cooperation to create the first all-in-one online whole-course disease management platform to meet the diverse health needs of patients in the digital age.

Reporter: What does Sanofi think of the business environment in China?

Hudson: Favorable factors such as the innovative market in China, the priority given to the approval of innovative drugs, and policy support in key economic regions like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta region have provided solid support for Sanofi's operations and development in China.

Reporter: What products have Sanofi brought to the CIIE this year?

Hudson: At this year's CIIE, Sanofi showcased the latest developments from its global R&D efforts and unveiled several innovations in the field of immunology.

For instance, Tzield™, the first and only therapy that delays the onset of type 1 diabetes, made its Asian debut at this year's expo. Additionally, we presented Nexviazyme®, an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for treating Pompe disease.

By Zhao Guangmei

Qin Jiao from chinadaily.com.cn contributed to this story.