Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt's 2017 China Visit

From March 18-22, Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt paid his first visit to China in 2017. During the five-day trip he participated in the 2017 China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing, the 2017 International Pharmaceutical Innovation Forum (IPIF) in Nanjing, met with several government officials from Beijing, Guangzhou and Hebei and accepted media interviews. Olivier introduced Sanofi China's landscape and the commitment to support the "Healthy China 2030" blueprint.

On March 18 and19, Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt first participated in the 2017 China Development Forum, held in Beijing. CDF is the first annual high-level international conference held in China in March each year. Under the mandate, "Engaging with the world for the common prosperity", it serves as an important platform for Chinese government to carry out candid exchanges and discussions with leaders of global businesses and international organizations as well as foreign and Chinese scholars.

At the forum, on behalf of healthcare companies Olivier delivered a speech on the topic of "Healthy China 2030 -- investing in healthcare, investing in the future". The "Healthy China 2030" blueprint places unprecedented strategic importance on national health, and Olivier emphasized that it will positively and directly affect both the development of the healthcare industry and national economic growth. He noted that China has already made huge strides forward in the sustainable development of medical innovation, and the country's healthcare industry continues to demonstrate a strong drive towards innovation.

During the meeting, as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Olivier attended a high-level symposium and conducted several private meetings with Cai Qi, Mayor of Beijing, Ren Xuefeng, Deputy Secretary of CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee & Party Secretary of CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Zhang Qingwei, Governor of the People's Government of Heibei Province, and Cui Li, Vice Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC). Olivier introduced Sanofi's business in China and reinforced their commitment to accelerate the healthcare industry's development,  and their hope for further cooperation in areas including tired medical diagnosis and treatment.

As a world-leading healthcare company, Sanofi fully supports the ambitious vision of the "Healthy China 2030" plan. As one of the first foreign healthcare companies in China, over the past 35 years, Sanofi has introduced more than 40 innovative medicines and vaccines to China, and several new products are planned to be launched in China in the near future. From a disease prevention perspective, Sanofi Pasteur - our vaccines global business unit - provides immunization solutions as well as changing Chinese people's perception of vaccinations by being the first to bring innovative products to China, such as the first influenza vaccines, the first polio vaccine, and the first 5-in-1 combination vaccine. From a disease management perspective, Sanofi has a proud history and leading knowledge in chronic disease management, including diabetes, cardiovascular, central nervous disease and oncology. Cooperation with all levels of medical care providers has deepened experience and knowledge, and improved the diagnosis, treatment and disease management for Chinese patients. At the same time, in 2011 Sanofi was the first MNC to deploy a dedicated team in counties, greatly expanding patient access to primary healthcare and meeting the ever increasing medical demands. Recently, in 2016 the Healthy Community Project was launched, aimed at improving medical treatment standards at the community level.

During the forum , Olivier reiterated how strategically important China is to Sanofi's development goals. Sanofi is ready to further accelerate innovation, expand patient access to healthcare, and improve health care service and quality. In these three aspects Sanofi is on the same path as the Chinese government, and will go hand in hand to build a healthy China and make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the Chinese people.