Recently, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Chairman Robert A. Bradway visited China. During meetings, the Chairman met with policymakers and experts to discuss how the global biopharmaceutical industry can work collaboratively to support China's efforts to strengthen its healthcare system and build a world-class biopharmaceutical ecosystem.

PhRMA represents leading American innovative biopharmaceutical research companies, which are devoted to discovering and developing medicines that enable patients to live longer and healthier lives.

The Chairman's visit represents PhRMA's continued efforts to support Chinese patients' access to innovative medicines, which, along with efforts to predict and prevent noncommunicable diseases, has been a long-term focus for PhRMA in China.

"PhRMA applauds China's steadfast efforts to combat the rising rate of cancer and other serious conditions in Chinese patients," added Bradway, who is also serving as Chairman and CEO of Amgen.

Innovative medicines will be critical to China's goal of prevention and "healthy aging". By allowing Chinese citizens to live longer, healthier lives, new treatments – like the osteoporosis treatments being developed for many diseases associated with aging will "add life to years", increase worker productivity, and reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system.

PhRMA also applauds China's 'Prevention First' principle in health care. Within a holistic approach to healthcare, the "predict and prevent" model will be especially important for China, home to the world's largest aging population, with nearly 150 million people over the age of 65.

Predict and prevent will allow China to improve care for chronic disease, particularly cardiac and osteopathic diseases in elderly populations, and expand elderly patients' access to essential medicines.

As China strives to achieve the worthy goals put forth through its "Healthy China 2030" plan, the country will need further forward-looking policy reforms and support from many stakeholders.

PhRMA would like to continue to share the organization's experience on how best to craft and implement reforms to help achieve these goals and reiterate our industry's commitment to being a collaborative partner.

"China has committed to significant reforms to its pharmaceutical regulatory systems, protections of intellectual property, and made considerable progress in the development of its reimbursement mechanism for innovative medicines," said Bradway.

In this regard, PhRMA has seen three areas for continued improvement, namely: continued acceleration of the drug review and approval process, such as those related to clinical trial data inspections; implementation of intellectual property policy reforms that are consistent with international best practices; and further development of a timely, transparent, and predictable reimbursement mechanism that appropriately weighs the value of innovative medicines.

PhRMA has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting the development of China's domestic biopharmaceutical industry as it increases in productivity, driving national economic development and bringing benefit to patients across the country.

PhRMA executives have made visits to China annually since 2011. This visit reaffirmed the importance of the Chinese market to PhRMA and its member companies.