The Silicon Valley of India is undoubtedly known for its innovation and contributions to the world of technology; however, it is also a hub of the pharmaceutical industry. Some of the largest and most successful Indian pharmaceutical companies have their headquarters here, and some even have their manufacturing facility in Bengaluru.
Himalaya Wellness Company
One of the most famous Indian pharmaceutical companies, Himalaya Wellness Company, was incorporated by Mohammed Manal in 1930; however, the inspiration to establish the company came to Manal thousands of kilometers outside of India. As a young traveler, Manal witnessed that a group of villagers fed an agitated elephant some herbs that calmed the elephant. Manal was intrigued by this and invested all his life in discovering the mysteries of nature. Originally, the company was set up in Dehradun; however, it was shifted to Mumbai in the early 1950s. The company launched Liv-52 in 1955, everyone including Manal, didn’t think much of this medicine, but to everyone’s surprise, Liv-52 was immensely popular and became synonymous with Himalaya. Liv-52 is a hepato-protective, i.e., it protects the liver from damage. A decade later, Himalaya Wellness Company started selling products in the United States, and it was an instant success. Seeing this, it expanded its operating network in other countries as well, and currently, Himalaya products are sold in 106 countries. Still, 50% of its revenue comes from India. Presently, Himalaya Wellness Company has products for children, mothers, adults, as well as for animals. The annual revenue of this company is $230 million.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Liv-52, Purifying Neem Facewash, and Antidandruff Cream
Biocon
1978 marks the year when this company was established as a joint venture with Biocon Biochemicals Ltd. Ireland by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, an Indian entrepreneur and billionaire. Biocon initiated its journey in a rented space as an active ingredient producer by producing papain and isinglass, two key products used in brewing. They started exporting these two ingredients to the United States and the majority of Europe. Within 2 years, Biocon bought 20-acres of land to build its facility. In 1989, Unilever acquired Biocon Biochemicals Ltd. Ireland; however, a decade later Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw bought the shares of Biocon from Unilever and established it as an independent company. A few years before that, in 1993, Biocon also became the first biology-based company to get certified by ISO 9001. After getting approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001, Biocon became the first global company to sell Lovastatin API which was approved by FDA. Three years after that, it also became the first company to produce recombinant human insulin commercially. In the same year, Biocon was also enlisted on the Indian Stock Market. Presently, Biocon operates its sales network in over 120 countries with over 13,500 employees around the world. Their primary focus is to develop medicines for diabetes, oncology, and immunology. Biocon generated a revenue of $97 million in 2021.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Insugen and Basalog
Strides Pharma Science
Strides Pharma Science Limited was established in 1990 by Arun Kumar under the name of Strides Pharmaceuticals Private Limited. It has a total of eight manufacturing facilities in the world, and five of those are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Strides conduct business in 100 different countries, and it specializes in the production of sterile products, soft-gel capsules, and anti-TB drugs. Interestingly, production of the mentioned products began shortly afterward its incorporation in 1993.
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Popular Product: Acarbose
Aurigene Discovery Technologies
This biotech company has been in business for slightly over a decade, and they specialize in the manufacturing of therapeutics for cancer and inflammation. Aurigene works closely with other pharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide the best medicines to patients. In addition to their headquarters in Bengaluru, they also have a head office in Kuala Lumpur. They have managed to deliver 15 molecules and drug peptides candidates to their associate companies with a group of 500 scientists. It generated revenue of $66 million in 2020.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Product: Cabomytex
Mylan
Mylan N.V. Pharmaceuticals was established in 1961 by two entrepreneurs, Milan Puskar and Don Panoz, in West Virginia, United States. Mylan is still largely operated by the US headquarters; however, it has established a strong foothold in the Indian market since its arrival in 2007. To enter the Indian market, Mylan acquired Matrix Laboratories, an Indian pharmaceutical company, for $736 million, which allowed them to gain control over one of Matrix’s subsidiaries’ firms, Docpharma. Six years after that, the acquisition of Agila Specialities Private was carried out for $1.6 billion in 2013. Currently, Mylan has 35,000 employees working in 21 manufacturing facilities in India. It primarily produces medicines for HIV patients.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Anzavir R and Avonza
Bal Pharma
Bal Pharma was incorporated in 1996 to produce active ingredients that could be sold in both the domestic and international markets. Presently, Bal Pharma not only produces active ingredients, but also produces prescription drugs, generic drugs, and over-the-counter medicines. Most of the products produced by Bal Pharma are exported to Asian and Middle Eastern countries. In 2020, it generated a revenue of $29 million.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Balpod and Stonex
Allergan India
Originally, this company was founded in 1950 by an American pharmacist, Gavin S. Herbert. He started by producing eye drops for inflammation caused by allergies, and it was the first-ever ophthalmic steroid decongestant. In 2015, the present-day Allergan was founded as Actavis, an Irish pharmaceutical company acquired it. Interestingly, Actavis changed its name to Allergan. The following year, it was sold to Teva Pharmaceuticals and, in 2019, it was yet again sold to an American company, AbbVie. Surprisingly, Allergan started operating in India in 1996, and despite all the acquisitions, it still functions under the name of Allergan India.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Juvederm and Zymar
Anglo-French Drug Industry
Anglo-French Drug Industry Limited or AFDIL was incorporated in 1923, and it is among one of the oldest Indian pharmaceutical companies. It sells skincare, respiratory, and nutraceutical products. In addition to being one of the main suppliers of medicines to government institutions, AFDIL also runs its business in 20 different countries.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Beplex Forte and Mycol
Madhur Pharma & Research Laboratories
This company was founded by a radiologist and pulmonologist, Dr. Deepak Joshi, in 1996. Originally, Dr. Joshi used to prepare Ayurvedic medicines from scratch for his patients; however, after he realized that the demand was increasing, he established a manufacturing plant. In addition to producing its medicines and active ingredients, Madhur Pharma also invests in research work.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Products: Respoherb and Turmeric Face Wash
Stericon Pharma
Stericon Pharma was established nearly 2 decades ago, and they specialize in the production of contact lenses. Additionally, they also produce active ingredients to be used in ear and eye drops for other pharmaceutical industries. It works on a contract basis. Some of its regular clients are Himalaya Wellness Company and Ayush Ayurveda.
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Popular Product: AquaSoft