(Yicai) Oct. 30 -- Global pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers will showcase new drugs, artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic equipment, and surgical systems, and highlight their local manufacturing capabilities at the upcoming China International Import Expo.

Themed ‘Healthy China, Healthy Life,’ the healthcare section of the ninth CIIE, which will kick off in Shanghai on Nov. 5, will cover pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health and nutrition, and elderly care. It will feature 12 drugmakers on the Fortune Global 500 list, 16 of the world's 20 largest pharmaceutical companies, and all three leading firms in medical imaging and radiotherapy.

Takeda Pharmaceutical will showcase oveporexton, an oral treatment for type 1 narcolepsy that received its first global regulatory approval in China in July.

Boehringer Ingelheim will bring verducatib, an investigational treatment for bronchiectasis in Phase III clinical development, Caninebeat AI, a tool that helps veterinarians detect heart murmurs associated with structural heart disease in dogs, and Senvelgo, an oral solution for treating feline diabetes.

Gilead Sciences, which is attending the CIIE for the fifth consecutive year, expects lenacapavir for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus, as well as liver disease drug seladelpar, to receive formal regulatory approval in China soon, the US biopharmaceutical company said on Oct. 26.

Lenacapavir was approved in China in January 2025 to treat adults with multidrug-resistant HIV-1, while its use for HIV prevention is only available through a special-access program in Hainan's Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone. Seladelpar, a treatment for primary biliary cholangitis, is available through special-access programs in Boao Lecheng and Beijing's Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

"The CIIE is not only a platform to showcase global innovations but also an important link connecting innovation, collaboration, and patients' needs," said Jin Fangqian, Gilead's vice president and China general manager.

Bayer will bring to the CIIE Sunharbo, the world's first approved factor XIa inhibitor, having received Chinese regulatory clearance on Oct. 26. Other Bayer exhibits include lung cancer drug Hyrnuo, which has received Chinese approval, and the Medrad Mark 7 Arterion high-pressure contrast injection system, which is made in China and has obtained domestic medical device registration.

Medical device makers will showcase new imaging and surgical technologies at the CIIE. Royal Philips will display 10 products, including the BlueSeal Horizon, a 3T magnetic resonance imaging system that it describes as “the world's first helium-free model of its class.” The MRI system remains under development and is not yet commercially available.

Moreover, Philips will bring its Verida CT scanner, an AI-powered, detector-based spectral computed tomography system that has received regulatory clearance in the United States.

Siemens Healthineers will debut its Naeotom Alpha.Peak photon-counting CT scan in China, while GE HealthCare will showcase its Photonova Spectra photon-counting CT scanner in the country for the first time.

Exhibitors are also highlighting their manufacturing and research capabilities in China. Siemens Healthineers received regulatory approval in June for its first China-made photon-counting CT scanner, the Naetom Alpha.Pro, which will be manufactured at its production base in Shanghai's Zhangjiang High-Tech Park.

Intuitive Fosun, a joint venture between Chinese drugmaker Fosun Pharmaceutical and US biotech firm Intuitive Surgical, will showcase a China-made da Vinci Xi surgical robot. Shanghai is Intuitive’s only production site for da Vinci robots outside the US.

Editor: Futura Costaglione