Pfizer, a US-based pharmaceutical company, signed a collaboration agreement with the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan province at the ongoing China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Wednesday to accelerate introduction of innovative drugs into the zone and the country.

According to the collaboration framework, three vaccines, including one to treat pneumococcus, and at least seven new medicines, including for treating acute myeloid leukemia and non-small-cell long cancer, which have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for market launch, will be available in the pilot zone soon.

"It provides us with the opportunity to introduce our latest innovative therapies to the China market within the shortest time by reaching collaboration with the Lecheng pilot zone at the platform of CIIE," said Wu Kun, Pfizer China Biopharma country lead.

"Such practice will enable us to obtain direct clinical responses, which will benefit our better understanding of the detailed needs of the Chinese patients," he said.

The collaboration also involves a joint organization of international academic events and meetings on vaccines and disease prevention. The first meeting is scheduled to be held in the latter half of 2020.

Gu Gang, head of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, said: "We welcome global pharmaceutical giants to showcase their first-class drugs and vaccine products in our pilot zone. Such collaboration benefits the high-quality and high-standard development of international medical tourism and high-end medical service within the zone."

Pfizer said China with a large population and a large number of middle class is currently the company's second-largest market in the world, and will continue to be a major market in its global blueprint as medical care and treatment is an important factor amid people's pursuit of a better life.

"We're committed to further development in China by collaborating with the government, hospitals and medical experts to bring more innovative products and solutions into the country to ultimately benefit Chinese patients and better contribute to the Healthy China 2030 Initiative," Wu said.

He praised CIIE, a China-invented global trade and communication platform, for bringing opportunities for business collaboration and showcasing enterprises' science and technology-driven novel products to both professional industry buyers and the public.

"We sincerely hope that we'll continue to participate in exhibition platforms, such as CIIE, in the coming years to better show our commitment to the China market," Wu said.