The 2025 APAC Health and Life Sciences Summit, hosted by ASK Health Asia, successfully took place on 20–21 November 2025 at the SGX Auditorium in Singapore, gathering leaders from governments, multilateral organizations, academic institutions, life science industries, investment communities, and innovation ecosystems from across Asia Pacific.

Building on the momentum of previous editions and the newly strengthened APAC Health and Life Sciences Partnership Platform, this year’s Summit centered on the theme “Partnering for Impact: Advancing Access, Innovation, and Investment in APAC.” Over two days, the Summit convened plenary discussions, high-level panels, innovator showcases, investment dialogues, warm reception & dinners, exploring emerging opportunities to strengthen health systems, accelerate innovation, scale regional collaboration, and build resilient, sustainable, and digitally enabled future healthcare across Asia.

 

• Weiyang CHEONG, Vice Provost for Strategic Research Partnerships at Singapore Management University and Senior Adviser for Health Economics at Ministry of Health (Singapore)

The first day’s Summit was opened by the welcome remarks from Weiyang CHEONG, Vice Provost for Strategic Research Partnerships at Singapore Management University and Senior Adviser for Health Economics at the Ministry of Health (Singapore).

Weiyang Cheong highlighted that Asian cities are ageing at an unprecedented pace, placing sustainability at the center of healthcare reform across the region. He emphasized that a future-ready health system must be built around preventive health, precision health, and population health.

Innovation and value-based care, supported by scalable technologies, will be essential to strengthening population health and economic resilience. Ultimately, these efforts align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Asia Pacific-achieving sustainable costs, equitable access, and high-quality health outcomes.

 

From left to right:

• Hsien Hsien LEI, CEO, AmCham Singapore (moderator)
• Hala ZAID, Former Minister of Health and Population, Egypt; Global Healthcare Advisor and Business Leader
• Greg HUNT, Honorary Enterprise Professor, University of Melbourne; Chair, Monash University Turner Institute Advisory Council; Former Minister for Health & Aged Care, Australia (2017‒2022)
• Bonanza Perwira TAIHITU, Senior Advisor to the Indonesian Minister of Health
• Andy POH, Honorary Professor, Health Services, Management Centre, University of Birmingham; Senior Advisor, World Scientific; Senior Fellow, Health and Global Policy Institute
• Sarthak DAS, DrPH, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance/ Adjunct Lecturer Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

The first topic focused on Health as an Investment. The Opening Plenary, moderator by Hsien Hsien LEI, CEO, AmCham Singapore, brought together diverse perspectives from across the region, including the former Ministers of Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population and Australia’s Ministry for Health & Aged Care, insights from Indonesia’s Minister of Health, and academic viewpoints from the University of Birmingham and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The panel emphasized viewing healthcare as a strategic investment rather than a cost center. Discussions highlighted the value of preventive care, public health initiatives, precision health, and AI, alongside strong public-private partnerships. Successful strategies require leadership, data-driven planning, resource allocation, and collaboration to improve health outcomes and economic returns.

 

From left to right:

• Piya HANVORAVONGCHAI, Associate Professor, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS; Former Secretary General of the National Health Foundation in Thailand (moderator)
• Ti Hwei HOW, Vice President, Oncology Business Unit, International Markets, AstraZeneca
• Thach DO, Head of External Affairs, Pharma Group EuroCham Vietnam
• SiNing ZHAO, Regional Head of Business Solutions, Underwriting, Claims and Medical, APAC, Reinsurance Group of America (RGA)
• Jeff WEISEL, Managing Director, Celadon Health Ventures

The next panel focused on Multi-layered Financing for Value-Based Care, moderated by Piya HANVORAVONGCHAI from NUS. Panelists included representatives from AstraZeneca, Pharma Group EuroCham Vietnam, RGA, and Celadon Health Ventures. The discussion explored regional approaches to structuring public and private financing to improve healthcare access, quality, and sustainability. The panel discussed challenges and opportunities in multilayered health financing, highlighting public-private collaboration, policy alignment, risk pooling, and data-driven decision-making. Speakers emphasized dialogue among stakeholders, innovative business models, and structured systems to enhance access, support new technologies, and ensure sustainable, value-based care across diverse regional contexts.

 

From left to right:

• Chang LIU, Founder and CEO, ASK Health Asia; Adjunct Associate Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Honorary Fellow, the Asia Society
• Jian WANG, Deputy Dean, Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, China
• Suthira TAYCHAKHOONAVUDH, CEO at Baiya Phytopharm & Assistant Professor at Chulalongkorn University
• Lilian CHEN, APAC Market Access Lead, BMS

Next was the Report Sharing & Discussion session. In this segment, Chang LIU from ASK Health Asia presented a report titled ‘Accelerate the Development of Commercial Health Insurance across Asia’. Following the presentation, Chang Liu engaged in a discussion on this topic with experts from Wuhan University, Baiya Phytopharm, and BMS. The discussion highlighted the evolution of commercial health insurance across Asia, focusing on public-private partnerships and multi-layer financing. Speakers shared experiences from China, Singapore, and Thailand, emphasizing government-led initiatives, industry collaboration, and strategies to expand coverage, improve access, and integrate commercial insurance with social protection systems.

 

• Eduardo P. BANZON, Director, Health Practice Team, Human and Social Development Office, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

The afternoon session moved into the second topic, Regional Collaboration. The session opened with remarks from Eduardo P. BANZON of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), who outlined the importance of regional regulatory cooperation from ADB’s perspective and shared his outlook on future collaboration across the Asia-Pacific.

 

From left to right:

• Marie LAMY, Consultant, ASK Health Asia (moderator)
• John CW LIM, Professor & Executive Director, Centre of Regulatory Excellence, Duke-NUS Medical School. Senior Advisor, Ministry of Health, Singapore
• Damian O’CONNELL, CEO at EDDC
• Indri ROOSLAMIATI, Director of the Center for Biomedical and Genomic Health Research and Indonesia Clinical Research Center, Ministry of Health, Indonesia
• Soon Tuck SIT, Director, PharmBio Cluster, Biomedical Research Council, A*STAR
• Hoon Sang LEE, Chief Strategy Officer at the RIGHT Foundation
• Andrew Shaoyu CHEN, Senior Counsel at Global Law Office, Former Assistant Chief Counsel at USFDA

The panel discussion that followed focused on “Regional Collaboration for Innovation: R&D and Regulatory Cooperation.” Moderated by Marie LAMY, Consultant at ASK Health Asia, the session brought together experts from Duke-NUS Medical School, EDDC, the Ministry of Health of Indonesia, A*STAR, the RIGHT Foundation, and the USFDA to explore pathways for advancing regional innovation and regulatory alignment.

The panel emphasized how regulatory diversity across Asia-Pacific delays patient access to advanced therapies. Speakers highlighted the need for greater convergence, regulatory reliance, and capacity building. They shared examples of cross-border cooperation, discussed legal and political barriers, and stressed trust, shared standards, and coordinated regional frameworks to accelerate innovation.

 

From left to right:

• Eugene HONG, Head, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank (moderator)
• Tugas RATMONO, President Commissioner of PT Biofarma, Indonesia
• Endang Hoyaranda, President of IASMED, CEO of Prodia Utama, Non-Executive Director of Prodia the CRO
• Nguyen Ngoc HUAN, Chairman, Vietnam Association of Medical & Biological for Research and Application (VAMBRA)
• Mark Yan-Yee CHAN, MBBS, PhD, Deputy Executive Director and Senior Consultant, National University Heart Centre, National University Health System; Associate Professor in Medicine and Deputy Director, Cardiovascular Metabolic Disease Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
• Nathan TIRTANA, President Director, PT. Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia (Etana)
• Vince GAO, Director & CCO, Sino-Innovax Biotec Pte Ltd

The next panel was the Regional Collaboration for Innovation: Clinical Development and Commercial Partnerships. This discussion was moderated by Eugene HONG, Head of Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Institutional Banking Group at DBS Bank, and featured speakers from PT Biofarma Indonesia, IASMED, the Vietnam Association of Medical & Biological for Research and Application (VAMBRA), the National University of Singapore (NUS), Etana Biotechnologies Indonesia, and Sino-Innovax Biotec Pte Ltd. The panel explored how APAC’s expanding role in global drug innovation is reshaping clinical development and partnerships. Speakers highlighted rising R&D output from China and Japan, the need to equalize trial infrastructure, regulatory improvements in Indonesia and Vietnam, and the importance of harmonized contracts, budgeting, and data processes to accelerate regional clinical research collaboration.

 

Top row left to right; bottom row left to right:

• Kate QI, Founder & CEO, SG Diagnostics
• Jusong XIA, President of International Business at United Imaging Healthcare
• Alvin LI, Head of business of Yidu Tech
• Zhiping CHEN, CEO, Shengsheng International Logistics Pte Ltd
• Wildman LIU, VP, Stellar Biotech Limited
• Jewel JIANG, Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Board Secretary of Innogen

The program then moved into the Innovation Showcase, featuring a lineup of invited speakers including Kate QI, Founder & CEO of SG Diagnostics; Jusong XIA, President of International Business at United Imaging Healthcare; Alvin LI, Head of Business at Yidu Tech; Zhiping CHEN, CEO of Shengsheng International Logistics; Wildman LIU, VP of Stellar Biotech; and Jewel JIANG, Vice President, CFO and Board Secretary of Innogen. Each speaker shared innovations from their respective organizations in healthcare and life sciences, offering participants a firsthand view of cutting-edge practices emerging across Asia.

 

• Cathy SU, General Manager, Singapore, Taiwan & Hong Kong/Macau at Gilead Sciences

The meeting then moved on to Topic 3, Investment in Life Sciences in Asia, beginning with a speech by Cathy Su, General Manager (Singapore, Taiwan & Hong Kong/Macau) of Gilead Sciences. She highlighted Gilead’s strategic investment in Asia, emphasizing not only innovative R&D in virology, liver disease, oncology, and cell therapy, but also patient access, partnerships, and social impact initiatives. She stressed that investment means fostering health equity, developing local talent, and ensuring broad access to medicines across the region.

 

From left to right:

• Charlene HUANG, Partner, Global Law Office (moderator)
• Cathy SU, General Manager, Singapore, Taiwan & Hong Kong/Macau at Gilead Sciences
• Jolene OOI, Partner, Investments (Healthcare), EDBI
• Giles NEWMARCH, Senior Investment Officer, Health and Education, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• May LO, Investment Director, abc Impact, Temasek Trust Asset Management
• Shawn NG, Managing Partner, NSQ Capital
• Vincent ZHANG, Managing Director/CFO, Fosun Health Capital
• Fei QI, Executive Director, Legend Capital

Next was the final roundtable of Day 1, “Asian Investment Facilitating Regional Life Sciences Industry Cooperation”. The session was moderated by Charlene Huang, Partner at Global Law Office, with panelists from Gilead Sciences, EDBI, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Fosun Health Capital, Temasek Trust Asset Management, NSQ Capital, and Legend Capital. The panel discussed drivers of life sciences investment in Asia, highlighting patient needs, healthcare access, and affordability. Panelists emphasized long-term commitment, strategic partnerships, ecosystem building, and supporting innovation. Key focus areas include AI, digital health, precision medicine, cell & gene therapies, and leveraging regional hubs like Singapore to scale solutions.

 

Seated left to right:

• Nguyen Ngoc HUAN, Chairman, Vietnam Association of Medical & Biological for Research and Application (VAMBRA)
• Chang LIU, Founder and CEO, ASK Health Asia; Adjunct Associate Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Honorary Fellow, the Asia Society

The summit then proceeded to the Vietnam MOU Signing Ceremony,marking a step toward deeper collaboration with Vietnam in the future. This ceremony also concluded the first day of the summit.

 

 

• GWEE Chern Chern, Director, Head of Catalist Sponsors, Capital Markets, Global sales & Origination, SGX Group

On the second day of the summit, the first topic was AI and Digital Transformation. The session opened with welcome remarks by GWEE Chern Chern, Director and Head of Catalist Sponsors, Capital Markets, Global Sales & Origination, SGX Group. She welcomed participants, highlighted AI and digital technologies transforming healthcare, and outlined SGX’s support for health and life sciences companies.

 

• Ryoji NORITAKE, Chair of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)

The keynote speech was then delivered by Ryoji NORITAKE, Chair of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI). He emphasized patient-centered healthcare, wise investment, and leveraging AI, robotics, and digitalization to address aging populations. He highlighted Asia Pacific’s unique demographic challenges and opportunities, advocating for inclusive, efficient, and humane healthcare solutions while rethinking aging and societal participation in the AI era.

 

• Ann AERTS, Head of the Novartis Foundation

The nest keynote speech was delivered by Ann AERTS, Head of the Novartis Foundation, and highlighted using AI and big data to improve population health, focusing on cardiovascular disease. She emphasized analyzing social determinants, integrating multi-sector data, and enabling precise, place-based interventions. Her initiative, “AI for Healthy Cities,” demonstrates scalable, evidence-based approaches to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes globally.

 

From left to right:

• Hong MA, Executive VP, Health Advocacy and Engagement, APAC, Edelman (moderator)
• Yingying GONG, Chairwoman and Founder of Yidu Tech
• Ann AERTS, Head of the Novartis Foundation
• Jon RICHARDS, President, Halodoc
• Amol SARVA, Cofounder of LifeX Ventures
• Dinh Nguyen NGUYEN, MD, Founder & CEO at Doccen.vn
• Ricky GUO, VP Business at Kinexcs

The summit then moved into a panel session, focusing on AI and Digital-Enabled Patient-Centered Holistic Care, moderated by Hong MA, Executive VP of Health Advocacy and Engagement, APAC, Edelman. Panelists included representatives from Yidu Tech, Novartis Foundation, Halodoc, LifeX Ventures, Doccen.vn, and Kinexcs. Panelists shared how AI and digital technologies are transforming patient-centered holistic care across APAC. They highlighted innovations such as personalized doctor avatars, predictive risk models, AI co-pilots, and wearable devices. Key themes included patient empowerment, workflow efficiency, adoption challenges, evidence-based policymaking, and leveraging AI to enhance outcomes, satisfaction, and cross-system collaboration.

 

From left to right:

• Jeff WEISEL, Managing Director, Celadon Health Ventures (moderator)
• Pauline TAY, Director at National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) Singapore
• Clive TAN, President of Precision Public Health Asia Society and Director for Home Team Medical Services Division at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore
• Kelvin TAN, Head of Programme (Minor in Applied Ageing Studies), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
• Sameer KANWAR, Director, Digital Health, AI and MedTech, PATH

The next panel focused on Regulation, Ethics, and Regional Collaboration, moderated by Jeff WEISEL, Managing Director of Celadon Health Ventures. Panelists included representatives from the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) Singapore, Ministry of Home Affairs Singapore, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), and PATH. The panel explored AI’s potential in healthcare, emphasizing ethical and regulatory challenges, the need for clinician-patient trust, and tiered regulatory frameworks. Speakers highlighted COVID-driven tech adoption, evidence generation, and digital readiness. They also discussed cross-border collaboration, regional capacity building, and the importance of localization for effective AI deployment in public health systems.

 

• Deepali KHANNA, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation

On the second afternoon of the Summit, the discussion moved to “Climate Sustainability and Resilience in Asian Healthcare Systems.” This session was opened by Deepali KHANNA, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation, who delivered the Opening Remarks and Session Overview. Deepali Khanna emphasized that climate-smart healthcare is essential for protecting lives in Asia today. She highlighted three levers: research and innovation to anticipate health impacts, partnerships across governments, private sector, and philanthropy, and financing to scale solutions. Collaboration, trust, and evidence-based action are key to building resilient, sustainable health systems.

 

• TEOH Su Chin, Deputy Regional Director, ADB

The first keynote of this topic was delivered by Teoh Su Chin from the Asian Development Bank. Teoh Su Chin outlined ADB’s Climate and Health Initiative, highlighting health investments, climate-smart projects, gender-responsive design, technical assistance, and co-financing. She showcased examples in Bangladesh and Lao PDR, emphasizing partnerships, resilience, low-carbon health systems, and scaling practical solutions for climate-resilient healthcare across Asia-Pacific.

 

• Vera SIESJÖ, Senior One Health Scientist, AIIB

The next keynote was delivered by Vera SIESJÖ, Senior One Health Scientist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Vera SIESJÖ emphasized Asia’s urgent climate-health challenges, advocating a planetary health approach. She highlighted nature-based solutions, green resilient healthcare infrastructure, community integration, global collaboration, and private capital mobilization. Her call focused on accelerating climate-adapted, low-carbon health systems to protect populations and reduce healthcare’s environmental footprint.

 

From left to right:

• Amita CHEBBI, Consultant, ASK Health Asia (moderator)
• Ryoji NORITAKE, Chair of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)
• Sameer KANWAR, Director, Digital Health, AI and MedTech, PATH
• David LIM, Director, Capital Mobilisation, AVPN

Next up was the roundtable discussion, moderated by Amita CHEBBI from ASK Health Asia. The speakers represented the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), PATH, and AVPN. The discussion focused on Innovative Technologies and Solutions for Climate-Smart Healthcare. The panel emphasized climate-smart healthcare in Asia, highlighting extreme weather impacts, innovative technologies for resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems, and adaptive healthcare delivery. They discussed policy advocacy, ecosystem building, financing gaps, scaling pilots, and collaborative partnerships to enable sustainable, locally relevant solutions across the region.

 

From left to right:

• Renzo R. GUINTO, MD DrPH, Associate Professor and Lead, Planetary Health, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, (moderator)
• Wan Cheng CHOW, Group Director of Sustainable Health, SingHealth 
• Siddhi ARYAL, Regional Director for Vital Strategies Asia-Pacific
• Megha KHANDELWAL, Global Strategic Partnerships Lead, External Affairs, Siemens Healthineers

The summit’s final panel focused on “Climate Sustainability and Resilience in Asian Healthcare Systems.” The session was moderated by Renzo R. Guinto, MD, DrPH, Associate Professor and Lead of Planetary Health at SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. Panelists included representatives from SingHealth HQ, Vital Strategies Asia-Pacific, and Siemens Healthineers. The panel discussed building climate-resilient, low-carbon healthcare systems across Asia, highlighting leadership, governance, and workforce engagement challenges. They shared strategies from public and private sectors, emphasizing sustainability in operations, supply chains, medical education, and community health, while balancing patient safety, equity, and environmental impact. Innovations include energy-efficient infrastructure, optimized surgical instruments, and climate-conscious training for health professionals.

 

The 2-day Summit was expertly hosted by Chang Liu, Marie Lamy, Tina Ja, and Amita Chebbi from ASK Health Asia, who guided each session with insight and engagement. The event featured special gatherings such as the Day 0 Welcoming Connections and the Day 1 Evening VIP Dinner, which provided excellent opportunities for networking, sharing, and in-depth discussions among attendees.

 

APACLIFE 2025 proved to be a highly successful platform for dialogue, covering key topics including Advancing Access, Innovation, and Investment in APAC, as well as AI and Digital Transformation and Building a Sustainable and Resilient Healthcare System. Participants represented governments, organizations, and companies from across the APAC region and around the world, offering diverse perspectives on healthcare challenges and opportunities in the region.

 

ASK Health Asia remains deeply committed to the APAC region and will continue to monitor and contribute to developments in healthcare, innovation, and investment, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across the ecosystem.