Last month, the China Health Club brought together French stakeholders active in the Chinese market to analyze the trends reshaping global healthcare: digitalization, the silver economy, and new industrial dynamics. Invited to the session, Ni Zeng, Head of Innovation and Development Services Valorization at Unither, shared her insights on a market that has become central for pharmaceutical companies and CDMOs investing in co-development. Why is China an important market for Unither? China is a key market for Unither. Since opening its first subsidiary in Wuhan in 2016 and acquiring a plant in Nanjing in 2020, the company has been committed to meeting the country’s growing needs, particularly in ophthalmology and respiratory disease treatments. How do national policies impact the local pharmaceutical industry? At Unither, we observe that national policies requiring evaluation of generic drugs for efficacy and quality, along with the Volume Based Procurement (VBP) policy, drive Chinese pharmaceutical companies to differentiate themselves in terms of products. What are the specificities of the Chinese ophthalmic market? The Chinese ophthalmic drug market has now exceeded 40 billion yuan, despite the impact of the VBP. Most eye drops sold in China are currently multi-dose bottles containing preservatives, which can cause side effects with repeated use. Switching to preservative-free single-dose formats addresses a genuine medical need and also aligns with our clients’ product differentiation strategies. How does Unither support these growing needs? Unither has already invested in four BFS production lines, representing 400 million doses per year, to support both Chinese and international clients in expanding in China. The plan is to double this capacity over the next five years to meet market demand. How do you see the transformation of the Chinese pharmaceutical sector? As discussed during the roundtable, China has shifted from being merely a manufacturer of generic drugs to a developer of innovative medicines. What does this mean for Unither as a CDMO and co-development partner? For Unither, this represents a significant opportunity, both for our CDMO activities in the local market and for co-development partnerships that help Chinese companies bring new innovative products to global markets. Interested in learning more about our co-development and out-licensing services? Contact us! About Unither Pharmaceuticals Unither Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical subcontractor specializing in the development and manufacturing of single-dose and multidose liquid formulations (including eye drops, saline solutions, asthma medications in BFS single doses, and oral liquid stick-packs) for originator pharmaceutical companies and generic manufacturers. With 2,300 employees and eight manufacturing plants across France, the United States, Brazil and China, as well as an R&D center in France, Unither Pharmaceuticals reported sales of EUR 522 million in 2024. https://www.unither-pharma.com/
