SHANGHAI, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited (Stock code: "Ping An Good Doctor", 1833.HK), one of the world's leading healthcare ecosystem platforms, signed a strategic collaboration agreement today with Merck, a leading science and technology company. In line with the Healthy China Initiative (2019-2030), the two companies will jointly explore integrated solutions to advance intelligent healthcare in China and to address needs of Chinese patients that are still unmet.
The representative of Ping An Good Doctor echoed the importance of the partnership: "Ping An Good Doctor will take the advantages of the healthcare ecosystem platform and rely on its unique service model of 'internet + artificial intelligence + more than 1,000 in-house physicians', combining Merck's advanced technology and high-quality medicines to provide the majority of users on the platform with high-quality, personalized chronic disease management and healthcare services, which allows premium health resources to revolve around users and actively facilitates the precise implementation of the Healthy China Initiative."
"We are very excited to be working with Ping An Good Doctor to explore more patient-focused approaches, and integrated healthcare solutions to enhance health management," says Rogier Janssens, Managing Director and General Manager of Merck's Biopharma Business in China. "As part of our digitalization strategy, we seek out innovative solutions that will offer the highest possible benefits to patients, with the mission of transforming the lives of 40 million patients in China by 2025."
The collaboration will leverage Ping An Good Doctor's extensive experience in AI medical technology, insurance provision and online and offline healthcare resources and Merck's medical expertise, high-quality medicines and innovative solutions and to develop an integrated one-stop healthcare solution. The Chinese government has a strong commitment to enhance the country's medical service efficiency and patients' health service experiences, putting in place a series of policies related to "internet + healthcare". In line with these policies, our digital solution will focus on assisted diagnosis of chronic diseases and infertility, and targeted disease management. In the future, the two companies will consider options to build out the ecosystem to include disease awareness and prevention, health check-ups, personalized medicine and healthcare services, and a "Medical Health + Insurance" platform to support health management throughout the country.
Aligned with the government initiatives to improve the hierarchical medical system and high-quality medical resources sinking, Ping An Good Doctor and Merck will also jointly explore how to break down the barrier between online and offline healthcare by means of innovative retail models connecting retail pharmacies, hospitals and primary healthcare in rural areas and by establishing an omni-channel retail system. This represents an innovative business model to better serve more patients in China. Both parties will continue to explore the value of "online healthcare", improve the chronic illness management system and connect online and offline innovative healthcare service models, so as to promote the digitalisation of chronic illness management in China and facilitate the upgrade of the healthcare industry.
About Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited
As the world's leading healthcare ecosystem platform, Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited ("Ping An Good Doctor"; stock code: 1833.HK) strives to provide every family with a family doctor, every person with an e-profile and everyone with a healthcare management plan through our "mobile medical + AI technology". At present, Ping An Good Doctor has established key business segments including online medical services, consumer healthcare, healthcare mall, and health management and wellness interaction.
As of 30 June 2019, our number of registered users reached 289.3 million and the number of monthly active users reached 62.7 million, it has become the largest mobile medical application in China in terms of coverage. Being powered by self-developed AI-assisted diagnosis system, our in-house medical team is strive to provide users with one-stop medical services covering 7/24 online consultation, referral, registration, online drug purchase and one-hour medicine delivery.
In April 2015, the Company received $400 million private placement from Softbank Vision Fund. On 4 May 2018, Ping An Good Doctor became the No.1 listed internet healthcare company in the world when it joined the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, stock code 1833.HK.
About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 56,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene- editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices -- Merck is everywhere. In 2018, Merck generated sales of EUR 14.8 billion in 66 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.
About Merck's Healthcare Business in China
With over 2000 employees and business presence throughout the country, Merck Healthcare is committed to providing high-quality drugs and innovative solutions for Chinese patients today and for generations to come. United 'As One for Patients', Merck China Healthcare helps couples create new lives with fertility technologies and treatments, improves the lives of patients with a broad portfolio of medicines for chronic diseases covering general medicine & endocrinology and allergen immunotherapy, and aims to prolong lives through the targeted oncology treatments. The R&D Beijing Hub, established in November 2009, is an integrated R&D facility, aimed at stimulating innovation, introducing new medicines to China even Asia paralleling market timelines in the West, and leading research and development into new treatment solutions for critical diseases in Asia.
Merck markets 17 medicines in 7 major therapeutic areas in China include fertility, oncology, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal (GI) tract issues, thyroid disease, diabetes, allergy.