US-BASED Cardinal Health, a global pharmaceuticals wholesaler, plans to expand its retail platform in China to sell high-end medicines to patients directly to tap a large aging population, a senior company official said yesterday.

"There are many layers between the manufacturer and the doctor in the pharmaceutical industry in China, and those layers need to shrink," George Barrett, chairman and CEO of the company, told Shanghai Daily.

The direct-to-patient platform, an innovation in the Chinese market, also covers home delivery, patient data management and customer care hotlines.

Cardinal Health will increase its retail stores in China to about 30 from seven now in the next couple of years, Barrett said, adding that it aims to open more than 70 retail stores across China in the long term.

The retail stores, including one in Shanghai's Jing'an District, will sell medicines for specialized conditions like cancer directly to the patients.