IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Baheal Pharmaceutical Group is extending the reach of Watson for Oncology to clinicians across China through a new multi-year strategic alliance. As the primary channel partner for Watson for Oncology in China, Baheal will serve a key role in not only accelerating cancer patients' access to cognitive technology, but over time, may also partner to bring Watson for Genomics and other future Watson Health innovation to China.

Baheal has a proven track record delivering value to hospitals across China working with more than 12,000 hospitals today, and the company has already implemented Watson for Oncology at Qingdao University Affiliate Hospital and Qingdao City Hospital, impacting more than 350 patients to-date.

IBM Watson Health is actively partnering with organizations like Baheal within China's healthcare and technology community to establish an ecosystem that will bring the benefits of machine learning into clinical practice to serve the needs of doctors and patients while maintaining compliance with local laws and regulations, including data privacy and security requirements.

"Oncologists in China have very little time to spend with each of their patients, and by deploying Watson for Oncology across our network, we aim to give our doctors more time to focus on the best decisions they can make for their patients," said Gang Fu, Chairman, Baheal Pharmaceutical Group. "Watson for Oncology will complement the robust digital health program that Baheal has already implemented in an effort to improve efficiency and quality across China's healthcare system." 

With more than 4.3 million cancer diagnoses and 2.8 million cancer deaths in China each year(1), China is home to one-fourth of all global cancer deaths, and cancer constitutes one-fifth of all deaths in China.(2) An explosion of medical information has created both challenges and opportunities to help improve quality care. Currently, approximately 50,000 oncology research papers are published annually,(3) and by 2020 medical information is projected to double every 73 days, outpacing the ability of humans to keep up with the proliferation of medical knowledge.(4)

"We are proud to work with Baheal, one of China's foremost leaders in the healthcare industry, to drive adoption of cognitive technology," said Deborah DiSanzo, General Manager, IBM Watson Health. "In communities all around the world, there is a growing need for tools that help increase efficiency and enable quick access to important information from the collective body of cancer knowledge available today. Watson for Oncology offers the promise to provide evidence based care while enabling clinicians to spend more time focusing on their patients."

Watson for Oncology is a cognitive computing platform that was trained by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to provide evidence-based treatment options to oncologists. It identifies individualized treatment options, scales access to oncology expertise, and analyzes massive volumes of medical literature drawing from more than 300 medical journals, 200 textbooks and nearly 15 million pages of text. Watson also ranks evidence-based treatment options, linking to peer reviewed studies and clinical guidelines. Its machine-learning capability means it continuously learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time. Watson for Oncology is currently trained to assist clinicians in developing treatment plans for breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, ovarian, gastric and prostate cancers.

About Baheal Group
Baheal Pharmaceutical Group, established in 2005, focuses on the investment and operation in the health industry. Baheal has established multiple ecosystems that function as a platform to best utilize resources in the health industry through the integration of global brands, Internet application, medical services and investment.

About IBM Watson Health
Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing capability representing a new era in computing. The system, delivered through the cloud, analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions posed in natural language, and proposes evidence-based answers. IBM Watson Health is a business unit that helps improve the ability of doctors, researchers and insurers to innovate by surfacing insights from the massive amount of personal health data being created and shared daily. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/watson. For more information on IBM Watson Health, visit: ibm.com/watsonhealth.