SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ranging from anti-pandemic medicine to medical equipment for coronavirus research, global medical companies have brought their innovative products for COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control to the on-going third China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche is participating in the CIIE for the third consecutive year. This year, its medical equipment and healthcare products exhibition area has been expanded to 950 square meters, including a 150-square-meter zone on public health and epidemic prevention.

Roche displayed a drug called Actemra, which is a biological immunosuppressant produced by Roche's Chugai Pharmaceutical, which was approved in China for severe active rheumatoid arthritis. Recently the medicine has been proved to be able to reduce the use of ventilators in treating critical COVID-19 patients in phase III clinical studies.

Abbott participates in the CIIE for the first time this year. Attracting much attention for its ability to rapidly detect coronavirus amid the pandemic, the company brought to the expo an antigen test kit suitable for large-scale detection.

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, partner with China's Fosunpharma, is also fresh to the CIIE. The two companies are cooperating on an mRNA vaccine in China for the prevention of COVID-19 infection.

As an international biomedicine company, BioNTech has a deep understanding of the importance of international cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and trust, Ugur Sahin, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of BioNTech noted.

A microscope developed by U.S.-based scientific equipment producer Thermo Fisher has been used by Chinese scientific institutions for COVID-19 research.

"The past two CIIEs have provided Thermo Fisher with an excellent platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies and solutions. They also provide valuable opportunities for in-depth communication with partners in the government, industry research institutions, and local enterprises," said Tony Acciarito, president of ThermoFisher China.