Mutual gain

Thyroid disease which occurs when the thyroid gland located below the skin and muscles at the front of the neck doesn't supply the proper amount of hormones needed by the body strikes about 20 percent of women over 40 and more than 2 percent of men.

About 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease.

Statistics on how many suffer from it in China are not available, but it's estimated that less than 2 percent of those with thyroid conditions in China have been treated. There are different forms of thyroid disease and depending on the condition, symptoms can range from high or low blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, depression, weight gain or loss, impaired vision, rapid heart beat, fuzzy thinking and many more.

Women over 50 are most at risk and some risk factors include current or former smokers, a family history of thyroid disease, an over or under consumption of iodine, over consumption of soy products, high stress, and exposure to radiation.

Given the serious conditions, Merck Serono, a Geneva, Switzerland-based endocrine and cardiometabolic disorder medicine developer and producer, has joined with the China Ministry of Health to launch the "Thyroid Disease Education Program" and "China Biological Products Technology Management Human Resources Cooperation Project", with a total investment of 26 million yuan from 2009 to 2011.

The ministry gets financial and professional support to address the health problem, hospitals and doctors can improve their skills, citizens will have access to information and education about the prevention and treatment of the disease, and Merck Serono gets closer to the world's most promising market, its government and its people.

Social causes

According to Merck Serono, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders in China are hampered due to inadequate professional medical training and the lack of public education and awareness. Chinese private research data is also nil, so the pharmaceutical business has to design its programs to solve the issues.

The "Thyroid Disease Education Program" will last from 2009 to 2011 and is funded with 20 million yuan from Merck Serono. It includes training for city-level hospital doctors, thyroid disease education for patients and the public as well as an urban thyroid disease epidemiological investigation project.

Thyroid disease training bases for physicians will be set up by the Ministry of Health based on the Guideline for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Diseases.

Patient education will be promoted in hospitals, along with the opening of 800 hotlines backed by healthcare professionals answering questions. A website will also be launched to encourage patient communication and education.

For public education, major cities in China will be chosen to promote knowledge about thyroid disease.

An epidemiology survey about thyroid disease in 10 cities is planned for two stages - a cross-sectional survey in 2009 and a follow-up one in 2011, in order to obtain data about prevention and incidence rates and provide a data base for China's thyroid prevention and treatment sectors.

Merck Serono's strength is in biopharmaceuticals. The company will invest 6 million yuan for biopharmaceutical professional training via "China Biological Products Technology Management Human Resources Cooperation Projects". The project offers international exchanges, overseas studies and internship opportunities for China's related talents.

Business vision

Merck Serono, a division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck, a Germany-based global pharmaceutical and chemical group, was set up in January 2007 and quickly earned benefits, especially in China.

Its staff has grown from 400 to nearly 900 in over a year, with headquarters in Beijing and representative offices in four cities, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou and Chengdu. So far 13 brands of its self-developed medicines have been on the market in China and 10 new brands are to be introduced within three years.

A report conducted by the pharmaceutical market research company International Marketing Services Health shows that growth of the sector hit 26 percent in the first nine months of 2008. Howard Sui, managing director of Merck Serono China says his company's progress is higher than competitors, though he declined to reveal any exact figures.

According to Franck Latrille, executive vice-president with Commercial International of Merck Serono and currently member of the board, China is the most promising market for the company, and the global headquarters has decided to double the budget for China's business.

"We are just at starting point (in China), everything about China is a challenge to a non-China company, but we see it in a positive way," he says, adding that opportunities are born from challenges.

Further promotion of their medicines in China needs public recognition and talent shortage is the top concern for Merck Serono, acknowledges Sui.

The two programs are expected to help the pharmaceutical company solve the problems to some extent and pave its development in China.

(China Daily 12/08/2008 page8)