Opella to deepen presence in nation

Opella, a consumer healthcare company based in France, is deepening its commitment to China, hailing the country as both a core market and a future hub for growth and innovation.

"China is the world's most promising over-the-counter market and one of the fastest-growing globally. For Opella, it is an indispensable core market and growth engine," Carol-Ann Stewart, the company's president of Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

Since transitioning from a business unit of French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi to a fully independent global company in April, Opella has refocused its global strategy on self-care innovation, supported by four growth drivers: reaching underserved populations, fueling innovation, advancing geographic expansion, and scaling up e-commerce.

In China, Stewart noted, the immediate priority is to expand access to self-care through targeted local innovation.

The market's potential is undeniable.

Data from the 2025 Wuzhen Health Conference show China's OTC sector grew from 304.1 billion yuan ($42.6 billion) in 2019 to 375.9 billion yuan in 2023, and is projected to surpass 500 billion yuan by 2025.

"China's OTC market has maintained steady growth. A population of 1.4 billion, a rapidly aging demographic — expected to surpass 260 million people aged 65 and above by 2030 — and the rise of the middle-income group are driving explosive demand for consumer health products, creating vast opportunities for multinational drugmakers," said Zou Chao, a senior researcher at Sinohealth Research.

"For Opella, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: how to meet the enormous unmet demand while ensuring consumers have safe and effective options," Stewart said.

Digital platforms are central to Opella's China strategy. Leveraging the country's advanced e-commerce infrastructure, the company is boosting its online presence. "China's high level of digitalization enables us to scale up our online footprint and engage consumers wherever they are," Stewart said, adding that Opella plans to make its flagship respiratory brand Mucosolvan available across retail, hospital, and e-commerce channels.

Opella announced in August that Mucosolvan will make a renewed entry into China in December, featuring an enhanced formula and offerings for both adults and children. The move represents a key step in Opella's push to localize operations and strengthen its respiratory health portfolio in the nation.

China is steadily moving from a treatment-driven model of healthcare to one that emphasizes prevention and personal responsibility, a transition guided by the country's "Healthy China 2030" campaign.

Stewart said this aligns closely with Opella's mission. The company is tailoring its OTC and vitamins, minerals, and supplements portfolio to align with government-prioritized health areas, such as liver health, respiratory care, bone strength and allergy management, while also supporting government-led education initiatives.

China's regulatory adjustments, including allowing online sales of certain OTC drugs, are creating new opportunities. Opella is expanding collaborations with local pharmacy chains, medical institutions and healthcare experts.

"Partnerships are not just a sales channel," Stewart emphasized. "They are a way to cocreate solutions tailored to local needs."

The company is also closely monitoring China's pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem. "We are deeply inspired by the vitality of China's pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem," Stewart said. "China is not only a market for us, but also an opportunity to deepen our 'in China, for China' strategy."

According to the National Medical Products Administration, China's pharmaceutical industry is now the second largest in the world, accounting for about 30 percent of the global total in terms of innovative drugs currently in the development and research process.

"China's inclusiveness and openness to innovation give us confidence to deepen our long-term investment here," she added. "We remain consistently open to collaborating with local innovators and will continue to strengthen local partnerships in the future."

Looking ahead, Stewart said Opella's ambitious targets include growing its market share in priority OTC categories, continuously expanding its consumer reach and significantly boosting brand awareness.