Self-Care Is Not a Product, It’s Critical Infrastructure: Why We Must Work Together to Make Health Systems Resilient.

The System Is Buckling; Self-Care Is the Solution.

Global health systems are buckling under immense pressure. When I attended the World Health Assembly in May, Dr. Wael Ali, board member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and International Alliance of Patient Organizations (IAPO), highlighted a reality many health systems now face: rising demand, chronic workforce shortages, and the high cost of reactive care. This isn't a distant threat; it is a crisis happening now. In December 2024, the WHO raised their estimate of the projected workforce shortage by 2030 to 11 million [1]. Meanwhile global health spending across OECD nations averaged roughly 9.3% of global GDP at the end of 2025 [2]. As we grapple with these systemic challenges, it’s clear that simply expanding treatment capacity after people get sick is no longer a viable strategy. The solution lies in shifting our focus to prevention and empowerment by embracing self-care as a cornerstone of public health.

However, this shift is jeopardized by a persistent health literacy crisis. Access to information does not equal understanding. Research shows that 4 out of 5 people globally lack confidence in making health decisions, and 2 in 3 people with treatable symptoms don’t act. In a world of complex medical jargon and rampant digital misinformation, medicine is only effective if the patient truly understands how and why to use it. This challenge is magnified for low-literacy communities, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. As Opella marks its first anniversary, my mission is to lead our 600+ science experts in building a collaborative self-care ecosystem that bridges this gap and truly empowers individuals. This is underscored by our recent commitment to improve the health literacy for 50 million people annually and train 200,000 pharmacists by 2030.

The Blueprint for Access & Trust.

Self-care starts with the individual, but it can only succeed with a coordinated system built on robust science and frontline trust. First, that trust requires an unimpeachable foundation of evidence. By backing self-care with real science delivered via innovative campaigns across the right channels, people are able cut through the wellness noise to make trusted, informed choices. It also gives pharmacists the evidence they need to guide patients with confidence. At Opella, we uphold this through relentless scientific rigor. Last year alone, we launched 39 new studies and had 37 scientific papers accepted. This commitment extends to our leadership in Real-World Evidence (RWE) and our strategic alliance with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which is focused on empowering pharmacists with the best data and tools to guide consumers.

Second, we must expand access to trusted solutions. A prime example is our work with Cialis. Following successful Rx-to-OTC switches in the UK, Ireland, and Norway, we gained non-prescription approval in Japan this May. This empowers millions of men to access a proven treatment under pharmacist guidance and combats the risks associated with purchasing counterfeit or unauthorized treatments online.

This switch also illuminates a critical men’s health blind spot. Men’s life expectancy is five years shorter than women’s globally [3], a gap driven by weaker engagement in self-care and delayed help-seeking. Fragmented systems, combined with some men's reluctance to visit a doctor, mean that care often arrives too late, impacting negatively on families, communities, workplaces and national economies. By leveraging accessible community pharmacies to address conditions like erectile dysfunction, a crucial early warning sign for cardiovascular disease, we can bring men into the healthcare system earlier and improve society as a whole. This model places pharmacists at the core of the solution. By expanding access to vital services, a key recommendation in the recently published report from Global Action on Men’s Health: Men & Self-Care - A Critical Gap in Health Policy & Practice [4], we can reduce the burden on primary care and strengthen the entire health infrastructure. As the Global Self-Care Federation notes, existing self-care practices already save health systems nearly $120 billion annually [5]. Expanding that impact is not just efficient, it is essential to building more sustainable access to care.

Industry as an Ecosystem Enabler.

As an industry, we have a responsibility to enable this ecosystem by building the infrastructure for scalable and effective self-care. Teaming up across scientists, innovators and organizations, we can build accessible tools and trusted systems that allow consumers to safely and confidently take health into their own hands.

An example of where collaboration is working to improve health literacy at scale is our partnership approach to e-labeling. We are working with regulators and stakeholders on pilots across France, Brazil and Indonesia to co-create e-labeling frameworks from the start, ensuring they are practical, inclusive, and designed for real-world use. In Argentina, official regulatory recognition was achieved in May 2025 without the need for a pilot, demonstrating how public-private collaboration can deliver real outcomes. The results of these partnerships over the last three years have driven a 74% increase in consumers accessing product information in pilot markets while removing over 500 tons of paper.

Another area of self-care that benefits from collaboration is innovation. Our mission is to find the best ideas, wherever they come from, that empowers people to effectively self-care. We partnered with the European Innovation Council (EIC) to collaborate with six visionary startups on challenges like probiotics and sustainable packaging. We are also advancing deep science with Verb Biotics to develop next-generation probiotics and funding emerging scientists in Africa via the African Diaspora Network to support locally relevant solutions.

A Call for a Coordinated Future.

What is clear is that self-care is not a product; it is critical infrastructure. But it only delivers when we work together. Now is the time for decisive public-private collaboration. Policymakers must create enabling frameworks, while industry invests in science, tools, and partnerships that build a system people can trust.

One important example and opportunity for coordinated action is steatotic liver disease. In May, the World Health Assembly adopted a new resolution that formally brings liver health into the global noncommunicable disease agenda for the first time [6]. It now falls to member states and industry to integrate liver health into national policies.

As Opella moves into its second year, our commitment is clear: to continue building the ecosystem that will put health in the hands of billions, making self-care as simple and effective as it should be.

1. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Health workforce. https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1

2. OECD. (2025). Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/8f9e3f98-en

3. Baker, P., & El-Osta, A. (2026, May 19). Men & self-care: A critical gap in health policy & practice. Global Action on Men's Health (GAMH). https://gamh.org/selfcarereport/

4. Baker, P., & El-Osta, A. (2026, May 19). Men & self-care: A critical gap in health policy & practice. Global Action on Men's Health (GAMH). https://gamh.org/selfcarereport/

5. Global Self-Care Federation. (2022). The global social and economic value of self-care [Research report]. https://www.selfcarefederation.org/ecosoc-report

6. European Association for the Study of the Liver. (2026, May 22). World Health Assembly adopts landmark resolution on steatotic liver disease, marking a historic first for global NCD policy [Press release]. https://easl.eu/news/wha-side-event/