Companies shine the spotlight on disease awareness at CIIE

Besides displaying their latest innovations, multinational healthcare and pharmaceutical companies are also using the ongoing China International Import Expo to raise public awareness about various diseases.

For instance, a blue book regarding fundus diseases, which affect the sight of 30 million people in China, was unveiled at the Novartis booth on Saturday.

According to the book by the Brightness Center, a joint endeavor by the National Eye Disease Clinical Medicine Research Center and the Beijing Bethune Charitable Foundation, about 3 million people receive first-time treatment for fundus diseases every year, but the rate of such patients receiving proper treatment is less than 10 percent.

The blue book also pointed out that around 90 percent of people with diabetic retinopathy are left untreated.

Novartis has also during this CIIE reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Hong Kong C-MER International Eye Care Group (China) Ltd to introduce its innovative drug Beovu, which is used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

At the CIIE booth of vision care and eyewear manufacturing company EssilorLuxottica, the Chinese Medical Association”s ophthalmology branch announced that it will begin compiling the second version of a myopia management white book. The previous white book was released in 2019.

“This new version will include preschool children and people with severe myopia in its study scope. It will contain prevention and control information and guide optometrists in carrying out standardized operations,” said Lyu Fan, a leading oculist at the association.

Over at the booth of GlaxoSmithKline, several events about disease knowledge popularization were held to improve the public’s understanding of vaccination.

“When the country further ages, health management of the elderly, including disease prevention through vaccination, will become increasingly important,” said Liu Jingyi, head of planned immunization at the Shanghai Xuhui District Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gynecologists also underlined the importance for women to get HPV vaccines to protect against cervical cancer during the CIIE.

Qiu Jin, director of the obstetrics and gynecology department of Shanghai Tongren Hospital, said that while a large number of women in cities have shown a high acceptance of HPV vaccines, many still hesitate when it comes to vaccinating their daughters.

“The best time for a girl to get the HPV vaccine is between 9 and 14, as the first peak of HPV infection comes at between 15 and 24 years old,” she said.

Zhu Haiyan, director of the gynecology department of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, said there is no need for individuals to wait for years before getting a high-valent HPV vaccine.

“A two-valent HPV vaccine is designed to protect against Type 16 and Type 18 HPV, the two most common virus strains that lead to cervical cancer for women in China,” she said.