EDITOR'S NOTE: It has been three years since the first edition of the China International Import Expo. This series of stories highlights the achievements and changes that participating enterprises have experienced because of the annual expo.

Global leading pharmaceutical and diagnostic company Roche has been able to bring a host of cutting-edge technologies and innovative products into China within a short period because of the aid rendered by the China International Import Expo.

Despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Roche, a three-time participant of the expo, has not slowed down its pace of innovation.

At the third expo in 2020, Roche showcased a wide range of innovative products and treatment solutions covering tumor immunotherapy, influenza, hematology and rare diseases.

Among them, a drug for blood tumor treatment – the result of a collaboration between Roche and the Hainan Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone – received wide attention from media, industry and patient groups. The two parties had signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation at the second CIIE in 2019 and the preferential policies in the zone were critical in helping Roche push their innovative drugs into clinical trials at a faster pace.

According to the company, the innovative drugs that entered clinical trials at the pilot zone cover the fields of breast cancer, tumor immunotherapy and influenza.

China is now the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world and this is partly due to the CIIE playing an important role in accelerating the review and approval process of overseas innovative drugs, as well as deepening the reform of the pharmaceutical industry, according to industry insiders.

According to Roche, a number of its innovative drugs received fast approval from related government department during the CIIE.

CIIE is also an important platform to promote China's opening-up policy as it serves as a bridge for communication between multinational companies and the government. Through various activities and events organized by the CIIE Bureau, Roche has exchanged opinions with related government departments, and its concerns have also received attention.

The result of this was a shortening of registration time and cost for local production at its Suzhou diagnostic products base, in turn enabling innovative drugs to benefit Chinese patients earlier, according to Roche.

Given the strong resilience of China's economy and pharmaceutical industry, Roche said it is full of confidence in the Chinese market. In October 2019, Roche announced the completion of its innovation center in Shanghai. With an investment of 863 million yuan, the innovation center is Roche's third largest R & D strategic center in the world after Basel and San Francisco.

In April 2020, Roche invested an additional $180 million into the Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific production base in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, which will produce molecular diagnosis and tissue diagnosis products.

With the wide influence of the CIIE, Roche said it expects more innovative drugs and diagnostic products to be introduced to China at a quicker pace, providing more patients with safe and effective innovative drugs and treatment solutions.

Roche said it will continue to participate in the expo and promote innovation. Meanwhile, it will be fully involved with the country's new economic development paradigm – the "dual circulation pattern", which has the domestic market as a mainstay with the domestic and overseas markets reinforcing one another.

Enterprises participating in the CIIE can share their stories by sending them to ciiestories@ciie.org

By Wang Hongyi

CIIE Stories | Exhibitors benefit a lot from CIIE