Columbia Clinic signed a cooperation agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim

SHANGHAI,Aug. 4,2021 -- On August 3rd,2021,Columbia China,signeda cooperation agreement with Consanas Rehabilitation,brand of Boehringer Ingelheim.The agreement will allow both parties to complement each other's medical resources and to carry out in-depth collaboration on talent exchange,which effectively feeds into healthcare delivery and further improvement in the management of rehabilitation industry. The Shanghai Kaiyi Bainuo Clinic is the designated institution for the collaboration,where physicians and rehabilitation therapist from Consanas provides regular outpatient service for stroke patients,offering more convenience for stroke patient in Shanghai. In the future,besides the Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC) in Pudong,patients can also enjoy German rehabilitation up to the same standard at ShanghaiKaiyi BainuoClinic inJing'anDistrict. The collaboration marks another major milestone of Boehringer IngelheimGerman rehabilitation model localization in China.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Seventy percent of the stroke patients needfollow-up careand treatment

Post-stroke rehabilitation treatment should beappliedas soon as possible

Cerebral stroke,or"stroke"for short,is caused by sudden rupture of the blood vessels in the brain or blockage of blood vessels thatdenies the brain inflow of blood. The onset is very rapid and critical. According to the latest Global Burden of Disease Study (Global Burden of Disease Study,GBD),the overall lifetimeprevalence rateof stroke in China is 39.9%,the highestin the world,indicating that for every five people in China,two will experience stroke in their lifetime. If not treated in time when a stroke happens,patients may be left withsequelae pertaining totheir senses,motions,cognition,speech,emotion and mental soundness.About70% to 80% of patients require furthercare due to the loss of the ability to take care of themselves in life[1],which addsheavy burden to thepatients,the families and the society.1

Stroke rehabilitation treatment is recommended by domestic and foreign guidelines as one of the most effective methods to reduce disability rate and topreventpost-strokecomplications. Within24 hours after onset,rehabilitation treatment can be applied provided that normal signs are demonstrated,which can minimize the chanceof disability among patients,thus ensuringbetter prognosis[2].

"At present,patients and their families are payingmore attention to the first aid of stroke,however the awareness ofrehabilitation after the treatment of acute stroke is yetto be raised. Sincerehabilitation process requires high-level ofcooperation fromfamilies and patients,only 11.5% of stroke patient have received rehabilitation treatment within one week since the onset and42.4% of stroke patientshaven'treceivedany rehabilitation treatment since onset[3]." Said Professor Zheng Jiejiao,chairman of the Elderly Rehabilitation CommitteeofChinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine"Rehabilitation is a long-term processand is affected by factors such as relevant national policies,medical service qualityandtechnologicalprogress within the industry on top ofpatients and their families.The ultimate purpose of rehabilitation treatment is to improve the quality of life of patients. Currently in Shanghai,rehabilitation physiciansand therapists combined represents2.54% of the total and for every 100,000 peoplethere are only 3.28 rehabilitation physicians and therapist,which indicating a huge gap compared with the international standards that stand at 10% -20% and 50 / 100,000 peoplerespectively."

The German rehabilitation model opens a new chapter of rehabilitation treatment in China

The National Health Commission and other line ministrieshave been advocatingforthe strengthening of stroke prevention and control and have been callingforattention to stroke rehabilitation management. A seriesof policies and guidelineson building a triple-tiered rehabilitation healthcare system have been announced which encompasses the development of neurology,neurosurgery and rehabilitation medicine departments centering aroundcerebrovascular diseases,rehabilitation hospitals and rehabilitation centersas well ascommunity hospitals and home rehabilitation capacity.In June 2021,the National Health Commission,together with other line ministries and commissions,issued the Notice on a Comprehensive Plan to Strengthen the Prevention and Treatment of Stroke to Reduce Millions of New Disabilities and the Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Rehabilitation,which provided important strategic guidelines for stroke rehabilitation in China. As averagelife expectancy in Chinacontinues to rise,there is increasing and diversifying healthcare needs amongthe middle-aged and elderly people,which cannot be satisfied by the limited capacity of rehabilitation departments of general hospitals.

Ms. Genevieve Faith,Head of Healthcare Solutions,Boehringer IngelheimChina,said,"Thecollaborationwith Columbia Clinic (ShanghaiKaiyi BainuoClinic) can provide high-qualityTotal Stroke Solution (TSS) for more patients and improve the treatment accessibility for stroke rehabilitation patients in China. Meanwhile,outpatient services can better help patients to achieve secondary prevention. The patient-centered corporate values and the business philosophy of providing high quality personalized health care of both Boehringer Ingelheim and Columbia Clinicare the cornerstones of this collaboration,which is a perfect combination of internationallyadvanced medical services and the German rehabilitation model. It will create professional and personalizedmedical,rehabilitation and nursing services in the field of rehabilitation,and help more Chinese stroke patients improve their health status and quality of life. In the future,we aspireto work with all parties to actively respond to national policies,so that Chinese stroke patients can access personalized stroke rehabilitation treatment programs up to German standardsas soon as possible,thus improvingthe quality of life of stroke patients and their familiesas well asalleviatingthe burdenon the society."

Boehringer Ingelheimis committed to improving the stroke management in China with concrete actions. On March 2018,the brand Consanas is introduced to China by Boehringer Ingelheimalong with the German rehabilitation model which had been contested for over a century. Driven by the innovative spirit and the patient-centered rehabilitation philosophy,Boehringer Ingelheimis able to have created,within just three years,a "China Consanas Model" that originated from Germany and tailored to China.

Atthe rehabilitation medicine department of Shanghai International Medical Center supported by Consanas,76% of the patients started rehabilitation treatment within six months after stroke. In March this year,at the third anniversary sinceits foundation,Consanas and Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC) jointly released the 2019-2020 Rehabilitation Clinical Achievements and Quality Report. As an annual report for the second consecutive year,it indicatesthat stroke patients who received rehabilitation within six months afterstroke enjoyed sound recovery. Consanas expert team believes that only when clinicians fully understand and practice the "early rehabilitation",canthe patients achieveeffective functional recovery. Furthermore,even patients whofailedto receivetimely rehabilitation treatmentafter the acute phasecan still benefit fromprofessional rehabilitation treatment in the second and third stages. Therefore,it's never be too latefor stroke patient to receive rehabilitation treatment.

Settinga new benchmark for stroke rehabilitation

Improving quality of lifefor patients

The success of the "China Consanas Model" has set a good examplefor thelocalization of world class rehabilitation treatment conceptin China. Columbia has also been running successful operations for9years in the Chinese market. Columbia Clinic Chinabusiness scope covers fields like hospitals,clinics and elderly care.Ms. Tan Bee Lan,President and Group CEO of Columbia China said: " Our collaboration with Consanas will focus onthe following aspects: first,we will leverage on medical resources from both sides and develop in-depth collaborations in talent exchange. We will work together to build aone-stop stroke rehabilitation management platform to better connectpatientswithrehabilitation therapists and / or rehabilitation nurses and other rehabilitation resources. Second,Columbia China and Consanas will promote the application of the "China Consanas Model" within the stroke rehabilitation space. We will also drive efforts to improve the clinical skillsof rehabilitation therapistsandrehabilitation nursesalong withoptimal and innovative rehabilitation process. In the future,both partieswill continue to exploreways and means to jointly respond to relevant national policies,to build an ecosystemconnecting the rehabilitation industry,to contribute tothe triple-tieredrehabilitation medical system andto create a win-win environment for patients and allparties."

With growing healthcare awareness and affluence,there is a rising demand for high quality health service among the generalpublic. China currently faces both challenges and opportunities with stroke prevention and rehabilitation management. Driven by national policies and callingsfrom clinical experts,inter-sector cooperation will intensify and businesses like Boehringer Ingelheimand Columbia Clinic will assume more social responsibilities. Dr. Pavol Dobrocky,General Manager of Human PharmaBoehringer Ingelheim Greater China,said: "As a leader deeply rooted in the field of stroke,Boehringer Ingelheim integrates internal and external resources to provide the patient centric Total Stroke Solution (TSS) that covers the whole patient journey from prevention to detection,treatment,rehabilitation and secondary prevention to improve patient care in stroke. We help stroke patients and their families overcome difficulties and challenges they meet at every stage of the disease through innovative treatment and solutions,reducing stroke morbidity,mortality and disability,and ultimately reduce the economic burden on family and society and contribute to Healthy China 2030."

[1]Zhang Tong,Guidelines for rehabilitation treatment of stroke in China(2011 Full Edition)/Chinese Journal of the Frontiers of Medical Science (Electronic Version) 2012,4(06):55-76;

[2]55-8.Prognosis after stroke /Article in German; Paal G;Abteilung für Neurologie,Stadt. Krankenhauses München-Harlaching.

[3]Asakawa T,et al. Lancet,2017,390(10090):121.