Themed "Join Hands for Progress, Benefiting Patients," the second Novartis China Patient Day event was held in Shanghai on Friday, bringing together representatives from patient organizations, industry experts and technology companies.

Focusing on the key issues of health literacy, patient advocacy and patient empowerment, the event shared best practices and future directions and was intended to promote further the "patient-centric" approach to help optimize the patient journey, as well has to enhance treatment standards and patient satisfaction.

Leo Lee, president and managing director of Novartis China, said, "Novartis China Patient Day is a key platform to unite industry stakeholders, align with emerging trends, and address urgent patient needs."

"Through collaboration and innovation, we aim to explore and share innovative solutions that advance medical best practices and ensure patients in China have the opportunity to benefit from breakthrough treatments," he said.

During the event, Novartis engaged with various stakeholders to explore how patient participation can promote the accessibility of innovative drugs and strengthen the country’s medical security system. The discussions focused on effective approaches and forward-looking models to involve patients in medical decision-making and policy advocacy.

At the event, the company also hosted workshops for leaders of patient organizations on short video production and patient community management, offering insights into how digital tools can enhance patient engagement.

Novartis said that it has incorporated artificial intelligence into its two educational platforms for cardiovascular and autoimmune skin diseases in the country. Since early this year, AI has enhanced user interactions, allowing them to quickly search and access medical information related to diseases, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and psoriasis.

In addition, the company has partnered with the Beijing-based Bethune Charitable Foundation, using AI technology to support patient education and disease awareness. By creating digital avatars of doctors, it has become easier to produce health promotion videos and further increase the range and quantity of disease-related content in such videos so that more patients can benefit.