Collaborating and investing with RTW and Ji Xing

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for an estimated 17.9 million lives lost in 2019. This reality is particularly pronounced in China, where approximately 330 million patients are grappling with cardiovascular diseases, which account for two out of every five deaths.

Urbanization, lifestyle changes, and an aging population in China have led to a dramatic increases in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases – a stark contrast to the rarity of both in China; diabetes before 1980 and coronary artery disease before the 1950s. What’s more alarming is that these factors have a compounding effect on other health conditions, including vision impairment. Over 200 million people in China, for example, are living with dry eye disease, a chronic progressive condition that severely affects quality of life.

However, we have an opportunity to help change the situation. It is within this context that I’m proud to announce our first collaboration of 2024: We’re collaborating with RTW Investments, LP (RTW) and CORXEL Pharmaceuticals (JIXING), a late-stage clinical pharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for serious and life-threatening cardiovascular and ophthalmic diseases.?

By working closely with local experts and communities in China, we’ll be able to develop treatments that are scientifically and clinically sound and contextually appropriate. We believe our collaboration may serve as a model for how global healthcare companies can effectively adapt and apply their expertise in different regional settings and transform local insights into universally applicable solutions.

This is also the first joint project across both 拜耳医药保健 Business Development, Licensing & Open Innovation and Leaps by Bayer since I took on the additional role as Head of BDL&OI last September. Congratulations to the teams on this project and continuing to demonstrate that collaborations are the core of our business.

In this complex healthcare landscape, the value of cross-border and intercompany collaboration is clear. Developing healthcare solutions in China, may offer us critical insights that have the potential to shape healthcare strategies worldwide. Today, the power of partnerships amplifies our individual efforts and leads to more comprehensive solutions.