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Fosun Pharmaceutical, a leading healthcare group, has taken a substantial step towards introducing particle therapy systems to hospitals in mainland China, aligning with Beijing’s efforts to make advanced medical treatment accessible to cancer patients across the country. The Shanghai-based company, a subsidiary of China’s non-state-owned conglomerate Fosun International, formed a partnership with Leo Cancer Care on Thursday, pledging to distribute the UK firm’s Marie medical facilities in the world’s largest consumer market. The deal came three months after the UK company secured regulatory clearance for the Marie system from the US Food and Drug Administration. The partnership “is not only about introducing the Marie system to China, but also about driving the evolution of China’s national therapy industry towards one that places greater emphasis on human-centred care, patient comfort and integration of advanced technology,” Stephen Towe, CEO of Leo Cancer Care, said in a media briefing. The agreement was signed at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world’s largest import trade fair, in Shanghai. Towe said the Marie system could reduce total treatment costs by 50 per cent compared with existing therapies. “We are able to make the machine 20 times smaller than conventional radiation [technology] in conventional proton therapies,” he said. Particle therapy, encompassing both the proton and carbon ion methods, allows doctors to increase the dose of radiation to a tumour while minimising the effects to surrounding healthy tissue. A typical methodology features computed tomography (CT) scanning, pencil beam scanning, robotic positioning system, constant radioscopic and fluoroscopic imaging, and positioning software to ensure treatment is delivered to the tumour. It can be used to treat cancers of the lung, breast, abdomen and other areas. Marie’s upright therapy system delivers radiotherapy by rotating the patient, which requires treatment rooms with about 30 square metres of area on a single floor, compared with the traditional three-floor, 120 square metres of space. At present, a proton therapy normally requires 200 tonnes of equipment, and it takes about five years to complete construction. Leading players worldwide include Siemens and Hitachi. There are more than 100 proton therapy centres in about 20 countries worldwide, mostly in the US. The cost of proton therapy in China can exceed 500,000 yuan (US$70,158). At present, less than 1 per cent of Chinese patients whose diseases could be treated by proton therapy had access to the technology, according to analysts. Since 2020, mainland China has reported more than 4 million new cancer cases annually. The country’s National Cancer Centre has been calling for coordinated action among different organisations to strengthen cancer prevention. Health authorities are also encouraging companies to pursue technological innovation to make cancer treatment affordable to the masses. The annual six-day CIIE, which opened on Wednesday at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre, drew 4,108 companies from around the world, according to its organiser, the CIIE Bureau, a unit of the Ministry of Commerce. China launched the CIIE in 2018 at the beginning of a trade war with the US during Donald Trump’s first presidency, hoping increasing purchases of foreign goods and services would help convince global partners of its commitment to free trade and market access. At the CIIE this year, Fosun Pharmaceutical is also displaying its latest products in the treatment of immune-inflammatory disorders, central nervous system conditions, and kidney diseases. The company is highlighting holistic breakthroughs in medical technologies, from diagnosis and treatment to recovery.
