AstraZeneca calls for new Hong Kong funding model to support biotech and cancer care
AstraZeneca says Hong Kong could attract more global biotechnology investment by pairing its scientific and regulatory strengths with new healthcare funding. The pharmaceutical company is also urging the city to include lung cancer in government-backed screening, citing the potential benefits of earlier diagnosis and access to personalised treatments.
Hong Kong needs a new healthcare funding model if it is to attract more global biotechnology investment, according to AstraZeneca executive vice-president David Fredrickson. Fredrickson told the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong had strong scientific capabilities and a modern regulatory system. He said the city also needed modern funding to support research and development and help patients obtain personalised medicine and newer treatments.
AstraZeneca has brought more than 60 clinical trials to Hong Kong and invested over HK$200 million in the city during the past three years. Fredrickson described Hong Kong as an important research and development hub for the company, even as drug makers continue to expand investment in mainland China. The company is also promoting the inclusion of lung cancer in Hong Kong’s government-backed screening programmes.
Existing programmes cover cervical, colorectal and breast cancers. Fredrickson said early detection could significantly improve outcomes. He cited an estimated five-year survival rate of as much as 80 per cent for patients diagnosed at stage 1, compared with about 15 per cent for those diagnosed at stage 4.
Figures from the Hospital Authority showed that lung cancer was Hong Kong’s most common and deadliest cancer in 2023, with 6,111 new cases and 3,880 deaths. Herbert Loong of the Chinese University of Hong Kong said the estimated cost per quality-adjusted life-year for low-dose CT screening was below the city’s pre-screening threshold for both smokers and high-risk non-smokers. Fredrickson said the Chief Executive had made lung cancer screening a priority but called for a concrete implementation plan and deadline.
The Cancer Coordinating Committee said in June that a local university had been commissioned to study strategies for screening in Hong Kong. Fredrickson said screening, personalised medicine and funding for new drugs could together improve progress against the disease.
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