Merck KGaA has signed on to a collaboration with Chinese internet giant Tencent, focused on developing digital, artificial intelligence-based platforms to help increase access to healthcare services and promote disease awareness.
“Tencent launched a major strategic upgrade in 2018,” Zhang Meng, VP of Tencent Medical, said in a statement. “While we continue to stay committed to Consumer-Based Internet, we are also actively embracing Industrial Internet, with the healthcare field being an important focus.”
Tencent refers to the industrial internet as the networks and big data analytics overseeing physical equipment, including medical devices and hospital hardware.
“We want to build on advanced internet platforms and artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing capabilities, and work with partners to make healthcare in China more convenient and efficient for all patients,” he added. The financial terms of the project were not disclosed.
RELATED: Merck KGaA chief Oschmann 'absolutely certain' a biopharma major will rise from China
The collaboration will focus on all of the treatment areas covered by the German Merck’s healthcare business in China. In allergies, Merck and Tencent will work to develop digital services to increase awareness of symptoms and encourage medication adherence. The two will also focus on infertility, diabetes, thyroid disorders and cardiovascular diseases, as well as in oncology.
“In this collaboration with Tencent, we will jointly explore the innovative combination of patient-centric healthcare management and digital platforms, which brings us one step closer to reaching our mission of transforming the lives of 40 million patients in China by 2025,” said Rogier Janssens, managing director and general manager of Merck’s biopharma business.
RELATED: Tencent, Medopad ally to create AI-fueled medical chatbots
The two companies plan to extend the scope of the collaboration in the future—and explore medical service models based on so-called “AI doctors” to provide remote treatment services for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and other diseases.
Last year, Tencent teamed up with London-based Medopad to develop AI-powered clinical decision support software and medical chatbots for mobile apps—giving Medopad access to nearly 1 billion users on Tencent’s WeChat messaging platform.