SHANGHAI, Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – 111, Inc. ("111" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: YI), a leading tech-enabled healthcare platform company committed to digitally connecting patients with medicine and healthcare services in China, today announced a strategic cooperation agreement with Suzhou Zelgen Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. ("Zelgen") (688266.SH), an innovative drug R&D and production company. The agreement will allow 111 and Zelgen to build an innovative out-of-hospital, virtual management platform for liver cancer patients that integrates doctor resources, doctor-patient interaction, convenient access to medicines, and education resources. The platform will assist patients with easy-to-access online doctor consultations that provide medical diagnoses, treatment options, follow-ups, as well as providing information on diseases, medications and therapies.
Liver cancer has become the second most fatal cancer in China. According to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, about 4.6 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in China, with about 410,000 of those cases being liver cancer. Out of 3 million cancer deaths in 2020, about 390,000 were from liver cancer, second only to lung cancer.
In June 2021, Zelgen's independently developed drug, Donafenib Tosylate (trade name: Zeprosyn®), secured regulatory approval from China's National Medical Products Association (NMPA) for treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Zeprosyn® serves as a new front-line treatment option for patients who have not yet received systemic treatment, and will be distributed through 111's new collaborative virtual platform.
Dr. SHENG Zelin, Chairman and General Manager of Zelgen, commented, "Zelgen is an innovative pharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new drugs. The company's first marketed product, Zeprosyn®, has been included in multiple clinical guidelines including the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer." Through this partnership, we will be able to take advantage of 111's online diagnosis, treatment, multi-channel platform, and health management services to further increase the availability of new drugs and, in turn, provide greater benefits to patients."
At the signing ceremony, Dr. Yu Gang, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of 111, stated, "The cooperation with Zelgen in the field of liver cancer is an important deployment of our digital platform in health management services directed toward a leading cause of cancer death in China. By harnessing the power of the Internet, we can break the limitations of time and space, and this new virtual platform will bring together specialists and patients online to efficiently carry out diagnoses, treatment education, follow-up visits, and prescription renewals. These functions not only expand the service radius of doctors, but also help medicines like Zeprosyn® reach more patients. Pharmaceutical companies like Zelgen can increase their regional coverage and expand distribution of innovative drugs. Patients' quality of life is also improved, as they gain access to a wider array of professional medical services and cutting-edge therapeutic drugs. Our new technologically advanced virtual platform will be beneficial for all parties within the medical system."
As a pioneer in the Internet + Healthcare industry, 111 continues to be at the forefront of innovative patient care and service models to expand and facilitate access to quality healthcare and life-saving medication nationwide. 111 currently has partnered with over 360 domestic and global pharmaceutical companies, and the partnership with Zelgen reaffirms the company's commitment to deliver solutions that will empower doctors and companies to provide superior healthcare services to patients.
About Suzhou Zelgen Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Established in 2009, Suzhou Zelgen Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. ("Zelgen") (688266.SH) specializes in the research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and distribution of innovative medicines. Its goal is to become the leading pharmaceutical company in China focusing on the areas of oncology, hematology, gastroenterology and inflammatory-immune diseases.
The maintenance of a robust, proprietary pipeline is crucial to Zelgen's business. To that end, the Company has successfully established two cutting-edge technology platforms for R&D and industrialization of precision small molecule drugs and recombinant protein drugs. This has enabled Zelgen to build-up a strong pipeline covering treatment areas including liver cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, thyroid cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinomas, myelofibrosis, hemorrhage, and hepatobiliary diseases. Zelgen is also working together with several other Chinese pharmaceutical companies to co-develop combination treatments of targeted small molecule drugs and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies.
To learn more visit: http://www.zelgen.com/en/gongsijianjie/
About 111, Inc.
111, Inc. (NASDAQ: YI) ("111" or the "Company") is a leading tech-enabled healthcare platform company committed to digitally connecting patients with medicine and healthcare services in China. The Company provides consumers with better access to pharmaceutical products and healthcare services directly through its online retail pharmacy, 1 Pharmacy, and indirectly through its offline virtual pharmacy network. The Company also offers online healthcare services through its internet hospital, 1 Clinic, which provides consumers with cost-effective and convenient online consultation, electronic prescription service, and patient management service. In addition, the Company's online platform, 1 Medicine Marketplace, serves as a one-stop shop for pharmacies to source a vast selection of pharmaceutical products. With the largest virtual pharmacy network in China, 111 enables offline pharmacies to better serve their customers with cloud-based services. 111 also provides an omni-channel drug commercialization platform to its strategic partners, which includes services such as digital marketing, patient education, data analytics, and pricing monitoring.
For more information on 111, please visit: http://ir.111.com.cn/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the Business Outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 111's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 111 may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties as to the Company's ability comply with extensive and evolving regulatory requirements, its ability to compete effectively in the evolving PRC general health and wellness market, its ability to manage the growth of its business and expansion plans, its ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future, its ability to control the risks associated with its pharmaceutical retail and wholesale businesses, and the Company's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain listing of its ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and 111 does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.
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