On October 21, 2024, the China Foreign Commercial Enterprises Association’s Committee for Drug Development and Research (RDPAC) successfully held the 2024 RDPAC Pharmaceuticals Compliance Seminar in Shanghai. The event aimed to promote industry self-discipline and support the healthy development of China’s pharmaceutical and medical sectors.
Mr. Penny Zhenke, Chair of the RDPAC Executive Committee and President of Pfizer China, welcomed participants with heartfelt appreciation. He underscored the crucial role of compliance in the healthy growth of the pharmaceutical industry and praised the effectiveness of China’s concentrated efforts in regulatory reform. Mr. Zhenke emphasized that these initiatives would have a profound and positive impact on the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical sector and the enhancement of its governance system. He reaffirmed RDPAC’s commitment to helping its member companies continuously improve compliance management while collaborating with relevant stakeholders to promote compliance development across the industry.
The seminar featured five roundtable discussions, attended by dozens of distinguished guests, each hosted by RDPAC’s Compliance Working Group co-chairs, vice-chairs, and core members. Notable attendees included Mr. Wu Xiaobin, Global President and COO of BeiGene; Mr. Shan Guohong, RDPAC Executive Committee Vice-Chair and President of Takeda China; Ms. Zhang Wei, Managing Director of Merck Pharmaceutical Health China; Ms. Xing Jun, Executive Chairman of Medichem (China); Mr. Tang Pengcheng, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding; Mr. Liu Tianyao, General Manager of Sinopharm’s Global Procurement and Supply Chain Service Center; Mr. Jarenou, RDPAC Executive President; and Ms. Feng Lan, Secretary-General of the China Pharmaceutical Innovation Promotion Association. They participated in two morning roundtable discussions that explored the current state and future vision of industry compliance from multiple perspectives.
Several of these guests, along with Mr. Zhu Hongbiao, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Chinese Health Economics Association; Ms. Chen Siyuan, Vice President and Regional General Manager for China and Asia at Bristol Myers Squibb; Ms. Huzur Devletsah, President and General Manager of Eli Lilly China; and Ms. Shi Liying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Medical Association, attended a closed-door exchange meeting with relevant departments over lunch.
In the afternoon, the seminar began with the RDPAC compliance head outlining the organization’s compliance efforts for the year. RDPAC recently opened its pharmaceutical representative compliance examination to non-member units and, just days prior, released guidelines for compliance in cooperation with Contract Sales Organizations (CSOs). Additionally, RDPAC plans to publish compliance guidelines for collaboration with industry associations and foundations, as well as to revise the RDPAC Code of Conduct once again.
The following three roundtable discussions focused on key topics such as compliance communication and collaboration between pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and healthcare professionals; compliance management in CSO operations; and compliance cooperation between pharmaceutical companies and associations or foundations. Compliance officers from both member and non-member firms, leaders from associations and foundations, public hospital integrity department heads, industry experts, and attorneys shared their insights, prompting engaging discussions on several significant issues.
The seminar concluded with a summary address from Mr. Jarenou, who commended the outcomes of the event and expressed his anticipation for ongoing collaboration with all industry stakeholders to further enhance compliance practices and foster a healthier pharmaceutical and medical environment.
