Santen sharpens China focus under global development strategy

With patients' needs as a top priority, Japan-headquartered global ophthalmic company Santen Pharmaceutical is upbeat about the Chinese market and is accelerating approvals by integrating China earlier into global development and registration plans to fulfill its long-term commitment in China for Chinese patients, a senior executive said.

Patient-centricity

Peter Sallstig, chief medical officer of Santen, said: "Patient-centricity at Santen is embedded across the full product lifecycle, from early research to post-launch activities. Under MTP2029, or Medium-Term Management Plan 2029, patient insights inform target product profiles, clinical trial design, outcome measures and patient-friendly communications."

He said: "At Santen, we consider it our most important mission to improve not only the efficacy and safety of treatments but also patients' quality of life."

Being in China for nearly 40 years, Santen has been cooperating with medical associations, academic institutes, pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy alliances, and has established the Santen Scholarship for young ophthalmologists, in order to identify disease areas with unmet needs as well as support improving the overall capacity of ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment.

China represents a significant need when it comes to eye health."We work closely with healthcare professionals and local stakeholders to understand disease burden, patient journeys and access realities. These insights are incorporated into development and evidence-generation strategies, ensuring that innovation is not only scientifically sound but also relevant and meaningful for Chinese patients in everyday clinical settings," Sallstig said.

Strong commitment

Sallstig said: "Santen's pipeline priorities in China focus on ophthalmic areas with high unmet medical needs and long-term patient impact. Key priorities include myopia, glaucoma, dry eye disease and selected retinal and specialty ophthalmology indications."

"These areas align with Santen's goal of becoming a leading ophthalmology company earning the trust of patients and the ophthalmic community worldwide. For China, pipeline decisions also consider regulatory feasibility, healthcare system dynamics and access pathways, ensuring that innovation can be translated into real patient benefit in a sustainable way," he said.

Santen came to China in 1988, earlier than its other overseas markets outside Japan, the company said, adding that it will continue to increase its investment in research and development to make cutting-edge eye care products and innovative treatments more accessible to Chinese patients, contributing to the Healthy China 2030 initiative.

In the company's MTP2029, it is stressed that Santen will establish leadership positions in markets including China. The company will also seek to achieve a 58 percent overseas business sales ratio in fiscal 2029 through strong growth in markets outside Japan.

Under MTP2029, Santen is accelerating approvals by integrating China earlier into global development and registration plans, rather than positioning it late in the lifecycle, Sallstig said. The company is also strengthening lifecycle management by systematically pursuing additional indications, formulations and patient-relevant improvements where they address unmet needs.

"In parallel, we are using digital and data-enabled approaches to improve development efficiency and submission quality. For Chinese patients, this means earlier and more consistent access to innovative ophthalmic treatments as well as continuous product improvements that better reflect real-world clinical practice in China," Sallstig said.

Currently, more than 51 percent of young people in China are diagnosed with myopia. Santen attaches great importance to the market and has carried out a strategic plan to tackle the disease in China.

As an ophthalmology company backed by 135 years of expertise,"we bring in-depth scientific expertise and longstanding collaboration with eye care professionals. In China, we emphasize education, appropriate disease management and sustainable market development. We believe trust, scientific credibility and consistent commitment are key differentiators in a highly competitive landscape," Sallstig said.

"In addition, Santen believes that it is necessary to not only provide information on its pharmaceutical products but also to involve patients, medical professionals, academic societies and other stakeholders in a number of initiatives to raise awareness of myopia treatment, encourage patients to seek medical care, provide treatment options and ensure that patients experience the benefits of treatment," he added.

Local partnership

As a global company exclusively specialized in ophthalmology, Santen has been working with local partners in order to strengthen market layout and respond to unmet demands in the country.

The advantage of Santen lies in its global focus and local adaptability. Localization is the strategic core of the company. It allows the company to complement global know-how with Santen China's deep expertise to develop solutions specifically adapted to the needs of China. From the early establishment of representative offices to the recent establishment of investment companies, Santen has continued to increase its investment in China, which it views as one of its growing markets.

In August 2025, Santen announced that it entered into a license agreement through its local subsidiary Santen Pharmaceutical (China) with RemeGen, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company dedicated to R&D and the commercialization of innovative drugs.

Under the agreement, RemeGen granted Santen a paid license for its proprietary RC28-E intravitreal injection. Santen obtained exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize RC28-E within particular regions including China.

"The cooperation with RemeGen reflects Santen's partnership-driven strategy in China under MTP2029. It brings together Santen's global ophthalmology expertise with strong local innovation and development capabilities,"Sallstig said.

He noted that "while we do not comment on specific milestones, our expectation is that this collaboration can accelerate access to innovative therapies for Chinese patients and strengthen local development and commercialization capabilities. Partnerships like this are pursued selectively, with a clear focus on long-term patient value rather than short-term expansion".

Lin Xianping, secretary-general of the Institute of Culture and Creation at Hangzhou City University, said: "Foreign-funded enterprises such as Santen have certain advantages in China's ophthalmology market. First, it usually has strong R&D capabilities and advanced technology, which can provide high-quality ophthalmic drugs and medical devices. Second, it has accumulated a good reputation in the international market, which helps to establish brand trust in the Chinese market."

"Finally, Santen has rich experience in market promotion and channel construction, which enables it to more effectively reach its target customers," he added. (source: China daily)