SHANGHAI, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jean-Luc Lowinski, Senior Vice President of Sanofi Asia and President of Sanofi China, was honored with the 2016 Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award today in recognition of his contributions to Shanghai and his social influence in the field of healthcare.
The Shanghai Magnolia Award is presented annually by the Shanghai Municipal Government to foreign nationals for their outstanding contributions to the city's economic construction, social development, and communication and exchange with foreign countries. The award recognizes remarkable achievements in fields including the economy, finance, trade, shipping, education, science and technology, culture, healthcare, environmental protection and innovative social management.
Lowinski said, "I'm deeply gratified to receive the Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award. It's more than a personal honor for me; it's a great honor for the Sanofi China team behind me. The award fully recognizes our contributions over the years to Shanghai's economic and healthcare development and our commitment to corporate social responsibility."
Olivier Brandicourt, CEO of the Sanofi Group, also sent his congratulations to Lowinski and thanked him for his contribution to Sanofi China.
A Frenchman's "China ties"
Lowinski is a French citizen who speaks fluent Mandarin. He has a deep affection for China and has resided in Shanghai for more than a decade. His insights into the Chinese market and culture have enabled the company to support Shanghai's economic development and global R&D cooperation. He has helped facilitate international exchanges in Shanghai and led Sanofi China's participation in the celebratory activities for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.
Sanofi has about 9,000 employees in 1,500 counties and cities across China. It has become one of the fastest-growing multinational pharmaceutical companies in the country, with a wide-ranging product lineup that includes both prescription drugs and vaccines, and addresses consumer health, rare diseases and animal health. Sanofi focuses on patient needs, striving to meet China's public health demands with a high-quality and innovative portfolio. Sanofi is the first multinational pharmaceutical company to set up an independent business unit dedicated to the county market in China.
Promote economic and social development in Shanghai
Since 2012, Lowinski has led Sanofi China's strong business growth and local talent development. In 2015, China became one of Sanofi's three largest markets and significantly bolstered its business growth.
Shanghai has great strategic significance for Sanofi. The Sanofi Asia and China Headquarters opened in the Jing'an District in 2013. Over the years, Sanofi has made contributions to economic and social development across Shanghai and has been named a Top 100 Enterprise for Economic Contributions to the Jing'an District multiple times. Its more than 1,000 employees in Shanghai serve all business segments and are actively engaged in the local community.
Since 2009, Sanofi's Shanghai Volunteer Group has partnered with the Shanghai Jing'an Disabled People Union in a long-term volunteer activity that has brought hope to many disabled people in the local community through new year's greetings, regular visits and disease management activities.
Drive innovation to help improve the level of scientific research
Under Lowinski, Sanofi has been dedicated to cultivating scientific research and talent in China. Since 2008, it has set up scholarships and launched talent training programs to foster young medical professionals in partnership with the Shanghai Institute of Biological Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Shanghai Medical Health Development Foundation.
In September 2014, Sanofi opened its R&D Hub for the Asia Pacific region in Shanghai. Its fifth research hub worldwide joined facilities in North America, France and Germany. The new facility is allowing Sanofi to strengthen its innovation in Asia Pacific and advance its sustainable business growth across global markets.
In May 2015, the Shanghai government released the Opinions about Accelerating the Construction of a Globally Influential Center of Science, Technology and Innovation. Sanofi's innovation strategy coincides with the city's commitment to science and technology and the pursuit of innovation-driven development. Sanofi's solid R&D infrastructure is carrying out joint clinical research on new drugs and existing medications, and clinical training projects. Sanofi has tapped its cutting-edge biopharmaceutical ecosystem to advance R&D initiatives, including those related to translational medicine, to cater to the pressing needs of individuals suffering from various diseases across China.
Deepen understanding of diseases and improve diagnosis and treatment
Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and tumors are among the biggest health concerns for the Chinese government. Under Lowinski's leadership, Sanofi has joined hands with local Centers for Disease Control (CDCs) and medical institutions to enhance local health conditions.
Sanofi has maintained cooperation with key organizations and hospitals across Shanghai through a number of academic exchanges and training platforms at all levels involving different diseases. Sanofi's aim is to improve individualized and standardized diagnosis and treatment, and provide an academic platform to support the growth of young physicians, who in turn will benefit their patients.
Sanofi has launched programs such as the East Neurology Forum, HOPE Journey and Helping Stroke Lecture Tour to train more than 1,000 physicians since 2012. It has also actively engaged in breast cancer education platforms to deliver standardized treatment concepts, benefiting more than 3,000 healthcare professionals annually.
Fulfill its commitment to corporate social responsibility
Lowinski attaches great importance to corporate social responsibility. He has paid special attention to the health and well-being of the public, patients and underprivileged people, and supported Sanofi China playing an active role in volunteer and charitable activities. By the end of 2015, about 6,800 Sanofi volunteers had participated in some 300 events, bringing assistance and hope to more than 40,000 people in need, especially underprivileged children.
Since 2013, Sanofi has cooperated with the Roots and Shoots non-governmental organization in Shanghai on the KidStrong Program. It is focused on helping children of migrant workers through support of the Shanghai Pudong Jinde Primary School. Sanofi provides nutritional supplements, regular health checks, healthcare lectures, and necessities for daily life and study. By the end of 2015, nearly 900 children of migrant workers had benefited from this program, which also involved more than 360 volunteers from Sanofi annually.
In the important area of patient education, Sanofi cooperated with the Chinese Medical Doctor Association in 2014 to launch the TRIO program. It was created to assist hospitals in building systematic management systems to carry out the optimal management of basal insulin for initial users and improve the knowledge and skills of diabetes patients for self-management. Representatives from 23 hospitals in Shanghai got involved. By December 2014, 3,151 patients in Shanghai had achieved better management of diabetes.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients' needs. Sanofi is organized into five global business units: Diabetes and Cardiovascular, General Medicines and Emerging Markets, Sanofi Genzyme, Sanofi Pasteur and Merial. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
For more information, please visit www.sanofi.com.
About Sanofi China
In 1982, Sanofi opened its first office in China. Sanofi China has a diversified business that ranges from pharmaceuticals, vaccines, consumer healthcare and rare diseases (Genzyme) to animal health (Merial). Sanofi's China headquarters in Shanghai are supported by 11 branches in Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi. As of 2015, Sanofi had more than 9,000 employees in China.
Sanofi has seven manufacturing facilities in China to meet the increasing demand of the China market. These plants are located in Beijing, Hangzhou (two plants), Tangshan, Shenzhen, Nanchang and Nanjing.
With Shanghai as headquarter of Sanofi China R&D and Asia Pacific R&D Hub, Sanofi's capabilities span the entire R&D value chain from drug target identification to late-stage clinical studies. Sanofi focuses on China and Asia Pacific's unmet medical needs, such as liver diseases, diabetes, oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
For more information, please visit www.sanofi.cn.
Sanofi Forward-Looking Statements
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