“We, as business leaders, are ultimately here to make the world a better place through business.”(Interview with Chairman Guo in Macau)

25 April is World Malaria Day. In this global public health battle against malaria, one Chinese company has become an indispensable force within the global public health system.

As of the end of 2025, Fosun had cumulatively supplied more than 440 million doses of artesunate for injection globally, saving the lives of more than 88 million severe malaria patients worldwide.

(Data is shown simultaneously on screen:

88 million: cumulative severe malaria patients saved

440 million:cumulative doses of artesunate for injection supplied globally)

This is more than just a philanthropic story about medical aid. These figures represent a “corporate response” demonstrating how a Chinese company is engaging deeply in global public health governance through sustained innovation, global operations, and industrial capabilities.

Self-developed innovative drugs break the "deadly grip”of severe malaria

World‑class product competitiveness is essential to solve global pain points.

In Africa, severe malaria has long been a ruthless “child killer”. Data from the World Health Organization in 2020 shows that 96% of malaria deaths occur in Africa, with an African child losing their life to malaria every 55 seconds on average. When a child’s condition deteriorates to the point of coma or inability to swallow, conventional oral medications are almost ineffective. Time is of the essence.

Artesunate for injection has become the “ultimate weapon” to overcome this deadly challenge.

In 1977, building on the discovery of artemisinin by Tu Youyou, a renowned Chinese scientist and winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Guilin Pharma, a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma, successfully developed artesunate, which solved the problem of water solubility of artemisinin and increased its antimalarial efficacy by seven‑fold. This successfully transformed artemisinin from a laboratory compound to a mature clinical drug, making it China’s no. 001 new drug.

Subsequently, Guilin Pharma successfully developed “artesunate for injection”, which enables the rapid killing of malaria parasites in the bloodstream through intravenous injection.

However, the company had to overcome two hurdles to deploy this “ultimate weapon”across Africa at scale.

The first hurdle is “standards”.

In 2010, Fosun’s independently developed artesunate for injection, Artesun^®, received WHO prequalification (WHO-PQ), marking a breakthrough for Chinese companies. Subsequently, it was listed as the first-line treatment for severe malaria. It is now widely regarded as the global gold standard for the treatment of severe malaria.

In 2023, second-generation product Argesun^® received WHO prequalification (WHO-PQ), becoming the first artesunate injectable presented with a single solvent system approved by WHO-PQ. It has greatly improved clinical convenience in remote areas in Africa and local doctors regard it as a “life-saving medicine from China”.

(CGTN interview of African doctors describing how children responded to the treatment within 24 hours)

The second hurdle is “access”.

Good medicines must be accessible and affordable. Fosun Pharma has been committed to improving the accessibility of antimalarial drugs.

Meanwhile, after nearly 20 years of operation in Africa, Fosun Pharma has built a local sales network covering 40 countries and regions, bridging the “last mile” in delivering life-saving medicines to patients.

Today, this innovative drug “Made in China” has saved over 88 million lives. This is not only a milestone for Chinese innovative drugs, but also powerful proof that a Chinese company can deliver an antimalarial “China solution” through its innovative capabilities and global operating network.

Building a localized “production-sales” supply chain to push the antimalaria frontline to “where it is needed most”

In Africa, more than 90% of medicines are imported. The long transoceanic shipping process keeps costs high.

In Fosun’s view, the key challenge of “Business for Good” is how to further improve the “accessibility” and “affordability” of effective antimalarial drugs in Africa.

Drawing on its strong global operating capabilities, Fosun has developed its own approach:

First, it deeply cultivates the local network. Fosun Pharma has nearly 1,000 local employees in Africa and has established five regional distribution centers, covering approximately 40 countries and regions. Among them, the Côte d’Ivoire distribution center has become a hub for the French-speaking countries and regions in West Africa, significantly reducing the distribution time of life-saving medicines.

If establishing distribution hubs is viewed as “unclogging arteries”, then building factories directly in Africa can be seen as a shift from “blood transfusion” to “hemopoiesis”.

To achieve local supply of medicines, Fosun has accelerated its shift from “Supply Africa” to “Made in Africa”. In December 2025, phase I of Fosun Pharma’s Côte d’Ivoire industrial park project officially obtained a local production license, with a planned annual production capacity of 500 million tablets.

This is not just a factory. It is an exemplary model for modern pharmaceutical industry in West Africa. Upon full completion, the industrial park will have an annual production capacity of 5 billion tablets and create nearly 1,000 jobs for the local community.

(Data on screen: An annual production capacity of 5 billion tablets, creating 1,000 jobs)

At the same time, Fosun Pharma is conducting Continuous Medical Education in many African countries to systematically improve local healthcare standards.

A series of concrete industrial initiatives marks Fosun’s shift from “Made in China, Supply Africa” to “Made in Africa, Supply Africa”. This not only ensures life-saving medicines can be produced locally but also drives the upgrading and growth of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, the ultimate demonstration of Fosun’s “Business for Good” underpinned by its globalization capabilities.

Integrating ESG into global operations to explore sustainable paths to “Business for Good”

If developing effective drugs is about “treating illness”, then Fosun’s broader vision is about “preventing illness”. In malaria prevention and control, Fosun is expanding its scope from “late-stage treatment” to “proactive prevention”.

Fosun Pharma’s independently developed SPAQ-CO series of malaria prevention drugs for children has benefited over 300 million children in Africa, significantly reducing the incidence of malaria during peak seasons. This strategic shift from “treatment” to “prevention” reflects the responsibility of Chinese enterprises deeply engaged in global public health governance.

This “Business for Good” DNA transcends geographical boundaries.

In Fosun’s view, whether it’s the “global fight against malaria” or “rural revitalization” in China, the underlying logic is the same: leveraging accumulated industrial resources, supply chains, and operating experience to strengthen the weakest link in grassroots healthcare.

“We’ve always had this idea: to empower rural doctors, so that they can care for the elderly and children who still live in rural areas and cannot easily travel to big cities. We try to do our part to make society better.” (Interview with Chairman Guo in Macau)

As of the end of 2025, the Rural Doctor Program, initiated by Fosun Foundation, had covered 78 counties in 16 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions across the country. With Fosun’s support, the program had served 25,000 rural doctors, benefiting 3 million rural families and 16 million rural residents.

This approach of deeply integrating social responsibility into business operations has earned Fosun professional recognition on the global stage.

In March 2026, thanks to its outstanding ESG performance, Fosun was awarded the highest MSCI ESG rating of AAA. Additionally, its S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) score continues to lead the industry.

These are more than just accolades. They are a testament to Fosun’s sound operational capabilities.

Fosun’s anti-malaria efforts show that true “Business for Good” is not about simple donations. It is about leveraging independent innovation and globalization capabilities to systematically address the challenges humanity faces.