An online seminar on rare diseases was held on May 12 by the China International Import Expo Bureau, the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), and the medicine special committee of the CIIE Enterprise Alliance.

Several Chinese government departments involved in the sectors of health, science and technology, medical products and healthcare security have implemented multiple measures over the past decade, such as making a list of rare diseases and establishing a treatment cooperation network of hospitals, to help the patients, said Liu Fuxue, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau.

The CIIE is dedicated to building a platform to facilitate exchange and cooperation between different parties and promoting innovation in this sector, Liu added.

The National Health Commission said it hopes governments, medical institutions and companies can intensify efforts in the research and development of drugs for rare diseases and establish a complete system to prevent and treat such diseases.

According to senior executives from Takeda, Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi, all of which are members of the medicine special committee of the CIIE Enterprise Alliance, the annual import expo has helped accelerate the approval process and market entry of many of their products.

Representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, the Illness Challenge Foundation, and medical companies also had discussions about improving the accessibility of drugs for rare diseases during the seminar.

By Zhao Luyang