TOKYO, Oct 28, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. and JD Health announced today that Eisai's Chinese subsidiary Eisai China Inc. and JD Health have established a joint venture company, Jingyi Weixiang (Shanghai) Health Industry Development Limited Company, to build a Health Service Platform for the elderly in China.In China, due to the aging population, as of the end of 2019 the elderly population over the age of 60 was 253.88 million, which accounted for 18.1 % of the total population of China1. With the rapid aging of the population, there is an increasing need for high-quality medical and nursing care for the elderly, and thus the provision thereof is an issue. The onlineization in the medical field utilizing digital technology is rapidly developing in China; for example, the ban on internet hospitals under private medical insurance has been lifted as of 20122.

Eisai has over 35 years of experience in drug discovery activities in the area of Alzheimer's disease/dementia with a rich development pipeline thereof. Eisai also has an understanding of the true needs of those living with dementia and their families as derived from the marketing of anti-Alzheimer's agent Aricept, as well as a network of healthcare providers that includes medical specialists in dementia. JD Health has a strong e-commerce business foundation, internet medical service know-how, and logistics infrastructure covering 99% of vast regions in China.

Eisai and JD Health have now established a joint venture company in China that integrates the strengths of both companies, with JD Health investing 51% and Eisai China investing 49%. The two companies aim to build a new One-Stop Health Service Platform for the elderly in China, where users can select and use the most suitable individual service from a variety of information and medical services. The two companies will first build a platform with a special feature for dementia, and in the future plan to expand the platform to a wide range of diseases which frequently found in the elderly.The One-Stop Health Service Platform will provide the following four core services online in China. The platform will launch these services beginning January 2021 in the order that they are authorized for provision and made ready.

Community Service

For the purpose of dementia awareness and early detection, in addition to information regarding disease awareness of dementia from Eisai, tools will be provided via an internet platform for self-assessment of cognitive function, implementation and habitualization of dementia preventive action. Additionally, for caregivers of those living with dementia, the service also offers a place for caregivers and those living with dementia to communicate with each other, a mental health consultation service, and an opportunity for caregivers to receive counseling. This service aims to thus eliminate the concerns and worries of caregivers and support them by providing mental care.

Medical Service

This service is intended for people who have concerns about cognitive function and those living with dementia. By using this service, users can be referred to medical institutions that provide internet medical services registered on the platform, and will be offered health care consultation, reservations for medical consultation, medical consultation, and treatment (a series of steps from prescription to delivery of necessary drugs) online. This service will lead users to medical consultations and appropriate treatments with relation to cognitive function at an early stage, and enable them to receive services from consultation to treatment smoothly.

Caregiving Service

In collaboration with major nursing home groups in China, this service will introduce the most suitable nursing facilities and caregivers for those living with dementia and their families, upon request such as regional area, cost, etc. In addition, this service will enhance information for improvement by accumulating evaluations from users after using the service. For those involved in nursing care, including the families of those living with dementia, this service offers a wide range of features such as useful advice from medical staff for nursing care, as well as educational programs and training that lead to the acquisition of nursing care skills. It is expected that providing a wealth of information about nursing care services on the platform will meet the needs of both users of care services and caregivers at a high level.

Mall Service

Through this service, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, and lifestyle support devices targeted for those living with dementia will be sold online based on potential consumer needs as obtained by analyzing big data on elderly consumers. In addition, the online sales screen is customized to show products that are likely to be required according to the circumstances of disease progression of users living with dementia, such as cognitive function and the amount of nursing care required.

Eisai and JD Health will leverage the knowledge and networks of both companies to build a One-Stop Health Service Platform that specializes in providing medical, health, and lifestyle services for the elderly, especially those living with dementia and their families, in order to contribute towards the fulfillment of medical needs in China.

About Eisai

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With approximately 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products to address unmet medical needs, with a particular focus in our strategic areas of Neurology and Oncology. As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit https://www.eisai.com

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