Global research-driven biopharmaceutical company, AbbVie, is poised for strong growth in China on the back of the government's extensive efforts to revolutionize the development of the country's healthcare industry.

"We are committed to introducing more medicines into the Chinese market and providing a new impetus to support long-term growth in China," said Alberto Colzi, senior vice-president of International, Japan, Emerging Markets& Australia of AbbVie. "We will help facilitate the Healthy China 2030 plan from vision to action."

Chinese authorities have taken a slew of measures since 2017 to serve urgent and evolving needs of medical patients. The zero-tariff policy on imported anti-cancer medicines implemented in May last year fulfills a pledge to improve the country's healthcare system. The approval process was also eased for new medicines from overseas, especially for those treating rare diseases and life-threatening ailments.

"We are very excited about the reforms happening in China," Colzi said. "And we are inspired by China's commitment to health, so we are really motivated to contribute to this evolution in this market."

Since its establishment in 2013, AbbVie has focused its science and innovation efforts on a core set of therapeutic areas, striving to make a remarkable impact on people's lives. AbbVie China is headquartered in Shanghai and has over 600 employees across the country. Its products include pipelines in immunology, virology, nephrology, anesthesiology, oncology and neuroscience.

AbbVie has introduced seven innovative therapies for eight indications in China. Some of the therapies have been included in the National Drug Reimbursement List, which benefit a large number of patients in China, according to the company.

The company said it is currently working to introduce 10 new products and 30 new indications by 2024 to expand its oncology portfolio and to address high unmet patient needs in China.

AbbVie's mission is to tackle the toughest health challenges, such as debilitating and widespread cancers.

"We know that a mission as bold as ours will require collaboration and sharing of knowledge and experiences," Colzi said. "We're collaborating with research and academic institutions to increase knowledge in core areas of basic science. We also seek to partner with other companies that share our commitment to oncology and other areas of our pipeline, and with the patient and physician association, and governments and payers to improve access to care."

In China, AbbVie is also consistent in fostering knowledge exchange and dialogue with Chinese stakeholders to tackle the toughest healthcare challenges prioritized by the government.

In this respect, the innovative biopharmaceutical drug developer has delegated a research and development team as well as a business development team to better gauge collaborative opportunities in China.

"We are confident that China will become a market of even greater importance to AbbVie in the near future. We are looking forward to the opportunities to partner with the Chinese government to advance toward its goals of Healthy China 2030," Colzi said.