Another German drugmaker eyes China e-commerce opportunities

Following a deal late last year that gave Bayer (BAYN: DE) access to valuable customer data, Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) has entered into another collaboration with a German pharma major, this time Darmstadt’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE).

Merck’s deal will also include exploration of data-driven opportunities “such as pharmaceutical e-commerce and artificial intelligence,” as well as focusing on tracking and tracing drugs and other internet health services.

The collaboration will leverage Alibaba’s deep reserves of data and its drug-tracking platform to help ensure safety and security of pharmaceuticals use, while “generating consistent value for patients through a series of add-on services.”