Amgen, a global biotechnology leader highlighting profound research and development capabilities and biomanufacturing, showcases its latest achievements in the field of innovative medicines under the theme "Acceleration for Innovation" at the China International Import Expo held in Shanghai.
This will not only provide new momentum for the overall industry development, but also offer more treatment options for Chinese patients. As Bob Bradway, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Amgen，mentioned in a video address to the CIIE, "At Amgen, we're confident in our business in China, and we have a long-term commitment to this important market."
As a global leader in biotechnology, Amgen has been dedicated to harnessing the best of biology and technology to combat the world's toughest diseases—including cancer, heart disease, asthma, osteoporosis, and rare diseases—since its founding in 1980. From a single lab, Amgen has grown into a global organization with over 27,000 employees, reaching nearly 10 million patients across more than 100 markets each year and helping people live healthier, fuller, and longer lives.
"The CIIE is a platform for Amgen to showcase R&D capabilities, innovative therapies, and disease management solutions, and an opportunity for us to collaborate and share development opportunities with global partners," said Irene Hsu, vice-president and general manager of Amgen China.
At the CIIE, Amgen brings six innovative products-focusing on cardiovascular, bone health, oncology, inflammation and rare diseases-each precisely tailored to the unmet needs of Chinese patients.
And during the CIIE, a real-world research project on Sotorasib will be initiated. By collaborating with Boao Lecheng real-world research platforms, the project aims to gather experience on the use of innovative medicines in Chinese patients, further strengthen clinical trial results, and to accelerate the approval of these medicines to patients in China.
For three consecutive years, an increasing number of new medicines have debuted at the CIIE, highlighting Amgen's innovation focus and mission of bringing hope to more Chinese patients.
Irene Hsu said that Amgen strives to ensure China's participation in its global research and development programs, which helps to achieve simultaneous filing and approval of the pipeline and further shorten the time for innovative medicines to enter China.
Bob Bradway, chairman of the board and CEO of Amgen, said that China is a vital growth driver not only for the company but for the entire biotechnology sector.
"We firmly believe that as China further opens up and optimizes its business environment, Amgen will have more opportunities to contribute to the development of China's healthcare industry in an even better way," said Irene Hsu.
"We look forward to connecting with more partners through this international exchange platform, sharing the opportunities of China's high-quality development and better meeting the needs of Chinese patients. With the mission of 'Serving Patients', we will continue our commitments to develop and introduce more innovative therapies, contributing our share to the goals of 'Healthy Aging' and 'Healthy China 2030', " Irene Hsu noted.
Multifaceted commitment to China
Since entering China, Amgen has introduced seven innovative medicines, covering several key disease areas such as cardiovascular disease and bone health, of which five medicines have been included in China's National Reimbursement Drug List. At present, Amgen China's business has covered nearly 100 cities across the country.
To date, Amgen has partnered with more than 300 clinical trial sites in China to promote the clinical development of innovative medicines in China and also to accelerate the pace of Chinese clinical trial sites' participation in international multi-center clinical trials. These collaborations cover multiple disease areas, including oncology, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and immune diseases.
"While focusing on the treatment field, we also actively cooperate with local enterprises to complement each other's resources and advantages, jointly promote the R&D and commercialization of innovative medicines, so that more Chinese patients can benefit from Amgen's innovations as soon as possible," said Irene Hsu.
Amgen has been committed to accelerating the introduction of global innovative therapies and striving to synchronize its R&D progress in China with that in Europe and the United States, further shortening the time for innovative medicines to enter China and meeting the unmet needs of Chinese patients, She said.
Today, China's aging population presents an ever-growing challenge and brings progressively expanding and unmet medical needs, particularly in chronic diseases.
Amgen is devoted to addressing these with our well-suited portfolio. The government attaches great importance to the development of healthcare and provides a favorable policy environment. The prevention and treatment of chronic diseases are one of Amgen's top priorities in building the Healthy China initiative.
The company will continue to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to facilitate the inclusion of their innovative medicines into the National Essential Drugs List, especially in the chronic disease area, including cardiovascular and bone health, enhancing the accessibility of related innovative medicines in primary hospitals to benefit more patients and help improve their quality of life.
It also plans to advocate for the establishment of a healthcare ecosystem centered on "prediction and prevention", aiming to reduce the incidence of diseases and improve the chronic disease prevention and control system.
For instance, in May of this year, Amgen jointly supported the Shanghai Action Plan for Blood Lipid Management, initiated by the Shanghai Medical Doctor Association, aiming to raise public awareness of dyslipidemia and help patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) better understand their blood lipid reports. The optimized blood lipid report provides clear low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets for different cardiovascular risk levels of ASCVD patients. Currently, the project has been implemented in nearly 15 hospitals, including Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai.
Amgen is also actively advocating for comprehensive and standardized management of osteoporosis patients by supporting the Power Bone Program, under the guidance of the Chinese Society of Osteoporosis and Bone Mineral Research (CSOBMR) and the Institute of Science and Technology of the National Health Commission. This program helps hospitals establish systems for screening, diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients with high risk of fragility fractures, aligning with the global Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) concept advocated by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). The Power Bone Program achieved the enrolment target of 50,000 patients by the end of September this year.
