(Yicai Global) Nov. 7 -- International medical companies, including Stryker and artificial heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences, will accelerate their development in the Chinese market after signing partnership deals with local manufacturers at the ongoing fifth China International Import Expo.

US orthopedic device giant Stryker teamed up with Qingdao-based Novelbeam Technology, a medical optical instruments manufacturer, to jointly create an endoscopic camera system for the Chinese market, Yicai Global learned at the CIIE.

The partnership will shorten the period of research and development and launch of products by 30 months to reach Chinese patients as soon as possible, Greg Holman, president of Stryker China, told Yicai Global at the ongoing expo. 

International healthcare giants should act as platform companies rather than directly compete with local Chinese manufacturers, Dai Ying, chief digital officer of medical devices maker Johnson & Johnson MedTech, told Yicai Global at the CIIE. International firms cannot cover all segments, so they should try to build a cooperative ecosystem and make full use of the advantages provided by local partners, such as digitization, Ying added.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis will launch an eye treatment program in China, the Basel-based company said at the CIIE, adding that it will work with Chinese hospitals to build thousands of “one-stop intravitreal injection sites” and train more than 10,000 ophthalmic professionals in the next two to three years.

US artificial heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences and Shenzhen-based Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics recently launched a medical monitor in China used in major hospitals in Beijing and neighboring Hebei province.

Edwards’ technology allows Mondray’s monitors to provide doctors with extra data to assist with patient diagnosis and treatment, a project leader at the Chinese firm told Yicai Global at the CIIE. The pair plans to promote the product globally, including North America, he added.

Novo Nordisk announced during the expo that the Danish biopharmaceutical firm plans to invest CNY400 million (USD55.7 million) to set up an investment company to integrate its business resources in China and promote upgrading the industrial chain.

The Copenhagen-based firm has devoted more than CNY2.5 billion (USD348 million) in China over the last five years, it noted.

Editor: Martin Kadiev