Zuellig Pharma to Invest over $50 M in Singapore based Innovation Centre

Singapore, 5 April 2017: Zuellig Pharma has today officially launched Zuellig Health Solutions (ZHS), a new Singapore-based innovation centre, established with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Zuellig Pharma will invest over $50 million in ZHS over the next five years to develop data, digital and disease management solutions that will help doctors develop more effective treatment plans, support patients managing chronic conditions and help payors manage healthcare costs. These solutions will also help healthcare companies identify market opportunities and reach more patients and consumers across Asia.

ZHS will employ more than 50 Singapore-based healthcare, technology and data specialists and follows the recent relocation of the company’s headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore. Gracing today’s launch event, EDB Chairman Dr. Beh Swan Gin said: “Zuellig Pharma’s decision to establish its headquarters and innovation centre in Singapore is testament to Singapore’s competitiveness as a location from which companies can successfully grow their business in Asia and beyond. “Zuellig Pharma’s management team will be located closer to their clients and be better able to gain insights about their needs and growth opportunities in the region. The company will also benefit from the breadth and depth of the healthcare talent pool here and from Singapore’s attractiveness for recruiting senior executives from around the world.”

Zuellig Pharma Chief Executive Officer John Davison said ZHS will focus on addressing gaps in the healthcare sector. “Asia’s healthcare industry is facing some significant challenges. The World Health Organization estimates that in South East Asia alone, almost 130 million people do not have access to essential healthcare services while ageing populations and increasing rates of chronic disease are driving up the region’s healthcare costs. “As a society, we need to develop new, innovative solutions to tackle these challenges. This is what ZHS has been set up to do. It will leverage our long history in Asia, our many partnerships across the region and our in-depth knowledge of the various healthcare systems to create new approaches that address issues of access, including education, information, affordability and supply chain reach.”

ZHS has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with National Healthcare Group to develop predictive models for early health screening and carry out treatment cost versus quality analysis, using data analytics.
Speaking during the panel discussion at today’s launch event, National Healthcare Group Chief Medical Information Officer Dr Eric Wong said this technology will help to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
“Effective analytics will allow us to better manage early population health screening, gain insight into ways to reduce preventable admissions and avoidable readmissions, decrease the length of hospital stays and improve cost-effective prescribing. Ultimately, it will help healthcare providers deliver the best treatment outcomes,” he said.

Patient management of chronic conditions is a key concern for the healthcare sector with data from Singapore’s National Health Survey highlighting that 1 in 3 Singaporean diabetics have poor control of their condition.
Zuellig Health Solutions has developed a mobile application that helps patients manage chronic diseases. These applications provide people with tailored nutrition, health and wellness advice, based on their personal health information. It is currently being piloted in Malaysia and Taiwan and Zuellig Health Solutions has plans to launch it in Singapore in the second half of this year.

Mr. Davison commented that innovation in the healthcare sector is not just about managing conditions, the industry also needs to focus on finding ways to help people prevent or delay the onset of lifestyle diseases. “We are developing programmes that aim to reduce preventable chronic diseases by educating people about risk factors and the simple lifestyle changes they can make to live a healthier life. A recent pilot programme we managed in partnership with a company in Malaysia reduced the number of new cases of preventable chronic disease among its employees by 20% while 46% of the people that took part improved in at least one health perimeter.”

Zuellig Health Solutions will focus on accelerating these programmes. “This does not only improve health outcomes, it also helps to reduce healthcare costs and the overall burden on the healthcare system by taking a prevention, rather than cure, approach to health management,” said Mr. Davison.

Zuellig Pharma has been successfully serving the Asian healthcare market since 1922. Today we are the region’s leading health care services provider. We are present in 13 countries and offer a range of innovative solutions for clients, customers, practitioners and patients. These include distribution; clinical trial support; registration, sales and marketing services; health, wellness and adherence programs; third party administration services and a range of retail pharmacy services. Zuellig Pharma employs 10,000 people and serves 300,000 doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and clinics across the region, helping to make healthcare more accessible across Asia.The post Zuellig Pharma to Invest over $50 M in Singapore based Innovation Centre appeared first on Top Asia Business News, Trends, Insights & Analysis.