An online scientific exhibition and trade fair took off yesterday, with 30 projects signed and a big health research center launched in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

More than 200 products, including the latest medical technologies and equipment, were exhibited at Anhui Innovation Center. Among them is tocilizumab, a drug proposed by the University of Science and Technology of China and its affiliated hospital to treat COVID-19.

With the common brand name Actemra, tocilizumab has been found effective in blocking the inducement of the inflammatory storm and included in China's latest version of diagnosis and treatment guidelines on COVID-19.

A big health research center was launched at the site by Anhui Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to promote the country's medical research ability.

"I hope the research center can strengthen international cooperation and make lots of scientific findings that can be applied in reality, so as to improve our ability to rise to common challenges," Bai Chunli, president of CAS, said.