Pfizer has teamed up with one of China’s largest insurers to help more Chinese patients access the medicines they need

China’s public health system, like many others in the world, is under increasing pressure from an expanding middle class, aging population, a shifting burden of disease and the current global pandemic. As a result, it’s becoming more challenging for the government to provide affordable access to new, innovative medicines under its national basic medical insurance program.

Pfizer has partnered with one of China’s largest insurers, Ping An, to find new ways to help relieve this pressure. In November, Pfizer and Ping An signed a memorandum of understanding to explore innovative commercial health insurance models.

Pfizer and Ping An will seek to collaborate with a city or provincial government to pilot a new insurance model underpinned by a cutting-edge clinical decision support system and smart-tech prevention and patient support platforms. The partners will also seek to engage in strategic, high-level advocacy to help shape the policy environment for China’s nascent commercial health insurance industry.

The overall goal of this project is to demonstrate that commercial health insurance is a sustainable option to increase access to innovative medicines in China, with the pharmaceutical industry as a critical partner.