The World Pharmaceutical Conference will be held on April 26-27, 2006 at Taizhou City, eastern Jiangsu Province, according to a joint announcement by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and Jiangsu provincial government on Wednesday.

Over 400 delegates from governments, international organizations, leading pharmaceutical companies and associations, the academia and the media will be attending the conference, said BFA Secretary-General Long Yongtu.

Under the theme of "For a Harmonious Future: Health and Prosperity," the conference will explore possibilities to build up and integrate the pharmaceutical industry through discussion on development of the global pharmaceutical industry, world pharmaceutical research and development, industrial innovation, financing and venture capital management.

"All these topics affect, directly or indirectly, the development of the pharmaceutical industry, and appear to be even more significant to the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, which is in the process of transition and reform," Long said.

The conference, for the first time, will explore and discuss the correlations between development of pharmaceutical industry and health promotion, reform in pharmaceutical policies, and reform in medical insurance system, which are all related to social sustainable development and construction of a harmonious society.

The conference will also invite health and pharmaceutical policy-makers from around the world and representatives from international organizations to share their views with managers of pharmaceutical plants on topics like export and procurement of Chinese medicine.

Besides government policy-makers, the conference has also invited Chairman of Japan Pharmaceutical Association, Chairman of USA PhRMA, Chairman of EFPIA and a number of representatives from world leading pharmaceutical enterprises, financing and consulting firms, insurance companies and venture capital companies, including the CEO of Pfizer, CEO of Quintiles, CEO of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, President of Emerging Markets, ICON, CEO of GSK, CEO of Allianz Group, Germany, Chairman of HBM BioVentures, and Executive Director of Victor Health Group.

Source: Xinhua