"I must say it's always impressive to come back to China and witness its significant and rapid transformation happening over time," said Marc Horn, EVP of Merck Group and president of Merck China, in an exclusive interview with China Daily Website.

"We are really, very excited about what's happening here because healthcare over the last 10 years or so, has seen incredible innovation," he said.

Horn also noted that currently, 30 percent of the global drug development pipeline originates from China.