Mumbai belongs to one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world, responsible for one-fifth of global generic medicine exports. The city is home to numerous state-of-the-art laboratories, manufacturing plants and institutes dedicated to medical and pharma studies. And with more than 500 pharma companies — including those listed below — the city continues to play a significant role in the sector.
Top Pharma Companies in Mumbai
- Sun Pharmaceuticals
- Cipla
- Lupin
- Alkem Laboratories
- Titan Laboratories
- Piramal Pharma Solution
- Pfizer
- AstraZeneca
- GSK
- Novartis
Top Pharma Companies in Mumbai
Alkem Laboratories is a worldwide manufacturer of pharmaceutical generics, formulations and nutraceuticals. With a portfolio of over 800 products — which includes the Pan antacid tablet and antibiotics Clavam and Taxim-O — the Mumbai-based company has become a top provider of anti-infective medications. Since its establishment in 1973, Alkem Laboratories has grown into five global research and development centers and 19 manufacturing facilities.
Pfizer is a global biopharma company that develops drugs, vaccines and therapies. In addition to developing the world’s first FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccine, it is responsible for household brands like Advil, Viagra, Robitussin and Zoloft. Based in New York City, Pfizer expanded its operations to India in 1950, where it now operates three manufacturing plants, two research and development centers, six regional centers that manage commercial and global support services and a regional headquarters in Mumbai.
Sanofi is the world’s largest producer of vaccines, currently treating half a billion people around the world. The Parisian company was the first to deliver an injectable polio vaccine, and treat influenza, meningitis and rabies. Today, Sanofi develops therapies across diabetes, cardiovascular and rare diseases as well as oncology, immunology and multiple sclerosis in over 90 countries. In 1956, the company came to India and has since set up headquarters in Mumbai, a formulations development center in Goa and two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals produces generic, branded and over-the-counter medicines to treat respiratory, dermatologic and oncologic conditions. Headquartered in Mumbai, the research-based company is known for its nasal spray Ryaltris and COVID-19 treatment FabiFlu. It operates in over 80 countries, with seven of its 14 manufacturing facilities and four research and development centers spread across India.
Abbott India, a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, offers over 400 branded generic pharmaceuticals. The Illinois-based company develops across various therapeutic categories, from women’s health and gastroenterology to cardiology and metabolic disorders. Abbott expanded its operations to India in 1910, where its in-house development and medical teams tailor-make products to meet the unique demands of the Indian market. Its regional headquarters are located in Mumbai, while the majority of its exports are handled by two local plants in Himachal Pradesh and Goa.
Global biopharma company Novartis develops medicine through five different biotherapeutic platforms. The Swiss company, which has a regional headquarters in Mumbai and accompanying branch offices throughout the country, is responsible for breakthroughs in difficult-to-treat diseases that span cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, immunology, neuroscience and oncology. Operating in over 150 countries, Novartis products are used to treat 800 million patients worldwide.
With a presence in over 60 countries, multinational giant Johnson & Johnson sells consumer healthcare products, manufactures pharmaceuticals and develops medical devices. The New Jersey-based company is known for inventing household products like Listerine, Band Aids and disposable contact lenses as well as its antiretroviral drugs that treat HIV, cancer therapies and developing the only single-shot vaccine for Covid-19. Johnson & Johnson touched down in India in 1947, establishing its first manufacturing facilities for consumer products and sutures in Mumbai in addition to a research and development center.
Global pharma manufacturer Ipca Laboratories produces pain, rheumatology, antimalarials and hair care therapy treatments to more than 120 countries. With more than 350 formulations and 80 active pharmaceutical ingredients, the Mumbai-based company is one of the largest suppliers of more than 12 APIs, including beta blocker Atenolol, diuretic Furosemide and antimalarial Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate. Across its 15 manufacturing units, Ipca is capable of producing all sorts of dosage forms, from oral liquids, tablets and dry powders to capsules and injectables.
Life sciences clinical research company Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global provider of scientific products, services and workflow solutions as well as pharmaceuticals. Operating in over 50 countries, the American company’s biopharma sector focuses on bioproduction, formulations, clinical trials and developing active pharmaceutical ingredients. Its Indian operations consist of six manufacturing sites, two research and development centers, 11 distribution centers and a regional headquarters in Mumbai.
GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, is a London-based biopharma company that specializes in treating infectious diseases and HIV as well as respiratory, immunological and oncological conditions. Founded in 2000, the company is known for developing the world’s first malaria vaccine, as well as a number of medicines that have been deemed as essential by the World Health Organization. Its India-based operations include a state-of-the-art Global Capability Center in Bengaluru, manufacturing facility in Nashik and regional headquarters in Mumbai.
Founded in 2006, Titan Laboratories is a specialty and generic drug manufacturer headquartered in Mumbai. As one of India’s largest exporters, the company delivers to more than 25 countries including all major regulators, from the United Kingdom and the European Union to Australia and Korea. Its manufacturing facilities are capable of mass producing a variety of dosage forms with popular brands Dexlansoprazole antacids, Galantamine for dementia and Duloxetine antidepressants as part of its product pipeline.
Bayer is a global biopharma company that sells health and nutrition products. As the original creator of aspirin, the Germany-based company is responsible for household brands like MiraLAX, Claritin, Alka-Seltzer, Midol and Aleve. Bayer India is headquartered from Thane — a district within the metropolitan region of Mumbai — and seven manufacturing sites across the country. It’s actively involved in numerous clinical trial studies from its four India-based research and development facilities, with a focus on oncology, women's health, cardiology and ophthalmology.
Cipla is the third-largest drug producer in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company has more than 1,500 products across 65 therapeutic categories. It specializes in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and depression while providing low-cost drugs for AIDS and the avian flu. Cipla has a presence in more than a dozen other countries, from the United States to Uganda, with more than 47 manufacturing sites around the world.
Roche, short for F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, has been developing pharmaceutical and diagnostic solutions for more than a century. Every year, the Switzerland-based company treats 28 million patients. It’s recognized as one of the world’s largest drugmakers in cancer treatment, with over 30 medicines named by the World Health Organization as essential medicines. With regional headquarters in Mumbai, the company has innovation centers in over a dozen countries, and diagnostic offices throughout India.
Piramal Pharma is a multinational biotech conglomerate that provides end-to-end drug manufacturing services. Headquartered in Mumbai, the company operates 15 global facilities — more than half of which are located in India — and a worldwide distribution network, delivering medications to more than 100 different countries. Inhalation anesthetics, pain management therapies and injectable anti-infectives and ophthalmological formulations are some of the products they offer. Piramal’s research and development facility in Mumbai focuses on creating new products, cost optimization and exploring novel routes for generic active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Global drug manufacturer Macleods Pharmaceuticals develops a wide range of formulations across major therapeutic areas, like anti-infectives, cardiovascular, and hormone treatments. Founded in 1989, the Mumbai-based company offers various dosage forms — including solid and liquid orals, topical formulations, injectables and inhalers — from eight manufacturing units across India. Macleods Pharmaceuticals is known for developing a number of WHO prequalified medicines used in the treatment of HIV, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Multinational pharma company Lupin is one of India’s largest drugmakers, delivering branded and generic drugs, biosimilars and active pharmaceutical ingredients to more than 100 countries. The Mumbai-based company has become a significant player in cardiology, respiratory, diabetology and ophthalmology. Lupin operates in 11 different countries, with seven research and development centers throughout India.
AstraZeneca is a global biopharma company that specializes in the development of innovative medicines across oncology, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic and respiratory diseases. The Cambridge-based company’s invention of lidocaine put the company on the map in 1948 and, more recently, gained global esteem for developing a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s been operating in India since 1979, where its employees handle local manufacturing, sales and marketing activities from offices all around the country, including cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru.
Ajanta Pharma is a specialty pharma company that distributes more than 1,400 branded and generic formulations in over 30 countries. Founded in 1973, the Mumbai-based company treats conditions related to ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology and pain management. Of its seven manufacturing facilities throughout India, six produce finished formulations — offering a variety of forms, from tablets and capsules to eye drops and injectables — while the other exclusively turns out active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Sun Pharmaceutical is India’s largest drugmaker by revenue, ranking fourth in generics worldwide. Founded in 1983, the company originally began its operations in Kolkata with just five products to treat psychiatry ailments before relocating its headquarters to Mumbai. From its 43 manufacturing facilities around the world, Sun Pharmaceuticals produces specialty prescription medicines, covering areas like psychiatry, dermatology and oncology, as well as over-the-counter products like vitamins and topical creams to more than 100 countries. Every year, Sun Pharma sells over 30 billion doses of its products.
