Agenda

China's healthcare reform programme is already making significant headway, but challenges remain. Are the reforms achieving the objectives of accessibility, affordability, safety and quality? To what extent might capacity constraints in skills and infrastructure, as well as opposing resource priorities of local governments hinder reform? How real is the risk that cost considerations will take precedent over quality of care? What are the lessons from the UK and other international healthcare systems, and what can other countries learn from China's reform programme? Can China really become the focal point of healthcare business and advancement that many are predicting?

China's plans open significant new opportunities for international investors, most often in collaboration with local Chinese partners. The programme for the expansion of healthcare infrastructure will create a multi-billion dollar market for healthcare IT, medical devices and the expansion of joint-venture hospitals, whilst the emerging healthcare insurance market has significant potential for growth and expansion into new products, and to new sectors of the population. What are the experiences of investors so far in this sector, and what challenges do they face in gaining a foothold in these fast evolving markets?

In less than a decade, China has been transformed from a secondary pharmaceuticals market into the world's fifth largest. Companies aiming to capture a large chunk of this market must build stronger capabilities to better identify and meet China's changing healthcare needs, adjusting product portfolios, and expanding wider and deeper into key cities whilst at the same time devoting more attention to the competition for talent. What are the emerging opportunities and the optimal strategies to capture the full potential of this market? What are the implications of China's healthcare reform for drug pricing, sales and marketing strategies? How can overseas companies gain a share of the retail, wholesale and OTC markets in China? What are the regulatory barriers, if any? What opportunities exist in the traditional Chinese medicine market?

Facing growing pressure at home to reduce costs and increase the productivity in their labs, international companies are increasingly drawn to the potential cost benefits and R&D potential of China, where government policies and incentives are helping drug companies to move up the life sciences value chain from drug manufacturing to drug development. But what is the true scope and scale of innovative drug research in China? How deep is China's expertise? What are the operational, strategic and regulatory challenges to capitalising on China's growing innovation capacity and life sciences capabilities? What are the regulatory and ethical considerations of leading edge research in areas such as vaccines, stem cell and gene therapy and novel diagnostics?

From funding the growth strategies of China's emerging life sciences companies to facilitating and financing the consolidation of the mainland's fragmented healthcare and pharmacy sectors, China's healthcare reform programme presents multiple opportunities for financiers and investors. In which sectors do financiers see the growth opportunities emerging, and what do they view as the potential barriers to growth and the success of the reform programme?