Greater Bay Area hospitals link up to share resources

After more than three years of implementation, the number of designated medical institutions under the Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect policy has expanded to 45, encompassing all nine Chinese mainland cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Launched by the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration in 2021, this groundbreaking policy enables designated medical institutions in mainland cities of the GBA to access urgently needed clinical drugs listed in Hong Kong and Macao, along with advanced medical devices crucial for clinical use and already employed by public hospitals in these two special administrative regions.

This initiative has established a pathway for the swift integration of international cutting-edge pharmaceuticals and medical devices entering clinical applications, facilitating their connection and exchange between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, experts say.

"The Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect policy empowers local authorities to proactively address the unmet medical needs of the population promptly, reflecting the compassionate essence of the policy," said Zhu Tong, the Greater China chief commercial officer of Zai Lab, an innovative biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Shanghai.

It will also enable more patients to benefit from leading global treatments at an early stage, Zhu noted.

Moreover, through the implementation of this policy, local medical institutions can enhance their capabilities by gaining experience in utilizing cutting-edge international medicines and elevating their standards of treatment, ultimately benefiting the people, he added.

Global reach

Zai Lab was founded in Shanghai's Pudong New Area in 2014, and was listed on the Nasdaq in the United States in September 2017, and in Hong Kong in 2020.

With its patient-oriented approach, the company is dedicated to meeting patient needs with innovative global therapies and delivering best-in-class or first-in-class treatments for patients in China and globally.

Under the guidance of the Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect policy, the company has the opportunity to introduce innovative drugs into the GBA, providing doctors in relevant fields with "powerful tools to better protect patients", according to the company.

One of the primary research areas Zai Lab is currently focusing on is gynecological cancer. "We are dedicating more efforts to two specific treatment areas, ovarian and cervical cancer, both posing significant unmet medical needs in China," said James Yan, the chief operating officer responsible for the company's global research and development.

Taking cervical cancer as an example, which incidence and mortality rates in China both ranked first among malignant tumors of the female reproductive system in 2022, up to 15 percent of adult patients had distant metastases at the time of diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Center.

"Through collaboration with experts, we continue to advance the development in these two areas, leading to many high-level clinical studies, some of which have been published in prestigious journals such as Cell," Zhu said.

"We are quite proud of this. By advancing our disciplines, we are enabling top experts to amplify China's presence in top medical publications," he added.

Looking ahead, Zai Lab plans to continue its focus on gynecological cancer, working with partners to enhance patient health and contribute to achieving the Healthy China 2030 goals, which includes improving the five-year survival rate for all cancer types by 15 percent.

"It is quite challenging and requires efforts from all sectors of society. For example, it needs products with better efficacy and turn them into standardized treatments. The enhancement of drug accessibility in the Chinese market is also crucial," Zhu said.

Drug accessibility

The Hong Kong and Macao Medicine and Equipment Connect policy plays a pivotal role in making more drugs accessible, while various Chinese medical insurance systems, including national medical insurance, commercial insurance, supplemental insurance plans and patient assistance programs, aid in helping patients improve their payment capabilities.

Zai Lab has participated in these initiatives to enhance drug accessibility. Since launching its first commercial product in 2020, the company has participated in national medical insurance negotiations for five consecutive years, resulting in six products being included in the insurance list.

In 2021, Zai Lab had five products included in supplemental insurance plans initiated by provincial or municipal governments, with some of the reimbursement rates reaching over 50 percent. These initiatives benefited more than 1,000 patients before the products were included in the national medical insurance list.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Zai Lab has grown alongside China's biopharmaceutical industry.

Over the past decade, China's innovative drug industry has witnessed significant progress, with an increasing number of Chinese experts participating in top international medical events.

For example, at this year's annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in June, 55 clinical research studies from Chinese scholars were selected for oral presentations. In 2015, this number was only one.

"Since 2015, China has continuously introduced new policies to encourage new drug research and drive the development of the biopharmaceutical industry," Yan said. "That year was also a turning point for attracting overseas talents. Many returnees brought back new drug research experiences from abroad over the past 10 years."

Policy support

Shanghai also recognizes biopharmaceuticals as a pillar industry, with Zai Lab benefiting from many practical policies. Yan mentioned that the company has particularly benefited from the recent comprehensive policies, which encompass 37 items across eight aspects to support the whole chain innovation and development of the biopharmaceutical industry, addressing nearly all the industry's pain points.

Thanks to policy support, Zai Lab has contributed three national Class 1 new drugs — which are innovative drugs that contain new chemical elements with clinical value that have not been marketed anywhere else — to Shanghai since 2019.

With the goal of becoming a leading global biopharmaceutical company, Zai Lab has adopted a two-pronged model that prioritizes introducing advanced projects from abroad based on clinical needs in China and internal R&D to generate a sustainable pipeline.

Additionally, the company has projects progressing from China to the international market, with the aim of ensuring that all research and development products ultimately benefit patients worldwide, Yan said.