Roche's "Blood Stars" shines in the Bo, gathering all parties to benefit Chinese blood disease patients

On November 6, 2022, Roche Pharma China's "When the Blood Stars Shines" press conference was held
at the Roche booth of the 5th China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as CIIE).
Roche's blockbuster innovative products in the field of blood were unveiled, including Urova ^® (veposuzumab), which is expected to revolutionize the treatment pattern of lymphoma, and Paishengkai ^® (covalimab), which is expected to complete the "world premiere" in China, further demonstrating Roche's firm determination
to work together with all parties to promote the overall development of China's blood disease treatment field and help realize "Healthy China 2030".

The stars have led the diagnosis and treatment of blood diseases in China for 30 years

Blood diseases usually refer to diseases that originate in or involve the blood and hematopoietic system, including malignant diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia, and rare diseases
such as hemophilia.
China's blood disease patient base is huge, and the development of diagnosis and treatment started late, and the overall disease burden is heavy
.
In the past 30 years, with the continuous improvement of the diagnosis and treatment level of blood diseases in China and the advent of innovative therapies, the field of blood diseases has also ushered in repeated treatment changes
.

"In the past 30 years, Chinese hematologists have continued to make progress and have achieved a leap
in the field of blood disease treatment in China from scratch and from weak to strong.
Looking back on this history, in 2000, the approval of the world's first monoclonal antibody drug, rituximab ^®, was an important milestone in China, introducing the concept of precision therapy for the first time, providing a subversive boost
for the treatment of hematological tumors in China.
Professor Wu Depei, Chairman of the Hematology Society Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, pointed out: "Nowadays, the development of blood disease treatment is changing with each passing day, and innovative drugs are constantly emerging; The world's first CD79b-targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC), vepotuzumab, which will be launched in China, is the biggest breakthrough in the field of lymphoma in the past 20 years and is expected to revolutionize the standard of
clinical treatment.
It is believed that with the help of more and more innovative drugs, the diagnosis and treatment of blood diseases in China will surely reach a higher level
.
”

Professor Wu Depei, Chairman of the Hematology Society Branch of the Chinese Medical Association

With the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of blood diseases in China and the application of innovative therapies, more and more Chinese patients are moving towards remission and cure, and more young and middle-aged patients are eager to return to society and work
after being cured or stabilized.
"We are very pleased to see that the improvement of diagnosis and treatment in recent years and the application of innovative therapies have made it possible
for more patients with blood diseases to return to work.
" Professor Zhao Weiying, Vice President of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said, "It is worth mentioning that among major blood diseases, lymphoma as a disease still receives insufficient
attention.
At present, the overall five-year disease-free survival rate of lymphoma patients in China is nearly 38^{% [1]}, and the cure rate is higher in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but due to the lack of correct understanding of lymphoma in society, the road to return to work of recovered patients faces various challenges
.
Improving the cure rate of blood diseases and helping patients reintegrate into society is the goal of doctors and patients, and it requires the participation and support
of the whole society.
”

Professor Zhao Weiying, Vice President of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

"Difficulty in reintegrating into society after receiving treatment is particularly acute in the population of patients with follicular lymphoma who are prone to recurrence and are difficult to
cure.
" Gu Hongfei, founder of Lymphoma Home, said, "Many patients are often caught in fear of recurrence and cannot return to normal life
.
As a patient organization, we have the responsibility to further enhance the society's attention to this patient group, so we have worked with Roche to jointly launch a series of lymphoma patient care and education activities such as 'born of beauty' and 'filterless life' for many years, providing patients with multi-dimensional and life-cycle care and helping patients truly achieve a carefree and beautiful life
.
”

From left: Gu Hongfei, founder of Lymphoma Home, Professor Zhao Weiying, Vice President of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and Li Bin, Vice President of Medicine and Personalized Medicine of Roche Pharmaceutical

Deeply cultivate the field of blood to innovate to meet the unmet needs of patients

Blood diseases are one of
Roche's core therapeutic areas for a long time.
For decades, based on the needs of Chinese patients, Roche has been committed to the research and development and introduction of innovative drugs for blood diseases for a long time, accumulating rich experience, product lines and R&D pipelines.
A number of its innovative blood disease products were also unveiled in China
at the Expo.
At the event, Dr.
Li Xin, Head of Roche's Global Center for Drug Development in China, explained Roche's rich R&D pipeline in the field of blood: from the world's first monoclonal antibody drug - rituximab ^®, human glycosylated monoclonal antibody biologics targeting CD20 - Jiarova ^® (obinutuzumab), to the antibody drug conjugate (ADC) targeting CD79b - Yourowar ^® (veptozumab), and bispecific monoclonal antibody drugs Glofitamab and Mosunetuzumab, which can target CD20 and CD3 at the same time.

Dr.
Li Xin introduced that in the field of rare blood diseases, Roche also pays great attention to the needs of
patients with hemophilia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).
The innovative C5 complement inhibitor for the treatment of PNH, Paishengkai ^® (covalimab), has been granted the priority review qualification by the National Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE), and its future listing in China is expected to be ahead of the United States, Europe and other markets, achieving Roche's first "world premiere" innovative drug
in China.
In the field of hemophilia, with the benefit of more than tens of thousands of patients with type A hemophilia worldwide, hemophilia treatment has also entered the ^® era of "zero bleeding" [^2].

Dr.
Li Xin said: "With a rich and diversified product and R&D pipeline as the cornerstone to meet the unmet needs of patients, Roche has always been committed to bringing more innovative treatment solutions
to patients with blood diseases.
”

Dr.
Xin Li, Head of Roche's Global Center for Drug Development in China

Ms.
Bian Xin, President of Roche Pharmaceuticals China, said: "Roche has long been deeply engaged in the field of blood diseases and continues to enrich its product pipeline
.
Adhering to the concept of 'putting patients first', Roche Blood is committed to helping more patients with blood diseases reduce recurrence, prolong their lives, and even achieve cures
with the attitude of constantly challenging themselves and surpassing themselves.
Roche will continue to work with partners to actively contribute to the realization
of the 'Healthy China 2030' vision.
" ”

Witness the spillover effect of Jinbo, and the accelerated benefit of innovative drugs to more patients

In the five years since the opening of the first CIIE, thanks to the "spillover effect" of the CIIE and the Chinese government's vigorous reform of the new drug review system, Roche's innovative blood products are accelerating in China.
At the same time, policy tools such as various innovative drug pilot projects and local supplementary medical insurance in various places have been launched in recent years, which have also greatly improved the accessibility and affordability
of innovative drugs.

Taking vepotuzumab as an example, with the data obtained in clinical research, the innovative drug has been listed as a recommended drug for the treatment of DLBCL by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Lymphoma Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines before it was launched in China, and has reached more patients in urgent clinical need through green channels such as Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Tianjin Free Trade Zone.
Not only that, a number of local Huimin Insurance and Hainan Boao Lecheng Global Special Drug Insurance have also successively included vepotuzumab in the coverage of innovative special drugs, thereby greatly reducing the threshold of innovative treatment and the economic burden of patients, so that this global cutting-edge innovation can benefit more Chinese patients
.

From left: Hao, Head of Hematology at Roche Pharma China, Dr.
Xin Li, Head of Roche Global Drug Development China Center, Professor Zhao Weiying, Vice President of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Gu Hongfei, Founder of Lymphoma Home, Professor Wu Depei, Chairman of the Hematology Society Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Qian Wei, General Manager of Oncology of Roche Pharma China's Customer Interaction Model, Li Bin, Vice President of Medicine and Personalized Medicine of Roche Pharmaceutical, and Long Weili, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications of Roche Pharmaceutical

References:

[1] Liu, W, et al.
Cancer Med.
2020; 00: 1– 10.

[2] Young G, Liesner R, Chang T, et al.
A multicenter, open-label phase 3 study of emicizumab prophylaxis in children with hemophilia A with inhibitors.
Blood.
2019; 134(24):2127-2138.