With a wealth of talent and expertise coming from the city’s universities, research centers and accelerators, Bengaluru has established itself as a hub for pharmaceutical companies in India. The city is home to multinational pharma companies as well as homegrown companies that are contracted to develop and manufacture therapeutic solutions. In the list below, we’ll introduce you to a few of the top pharma companies in Bengaluru.
Top Healthcare Companies in Bengaluru
- Biocon
- AstraZeneca
- Syngene
- Apotex
- Cipla
- Novo Nordisk
- Abbvie
- GSK
- Strides Pharma Science
- Stelis Biopharma
Pharma Companies in Bengaluru to Know
Multinational pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been developing drugs in India since 1979, and its regional operations are headquartered in Bengaluru. More than 300 employees work on the research and development of global medicines. More than 800 employees work in the commercial pharmaceutical division, which primarily focuses on medication for cancer and cardiovascular, kidney, metabolic and respiratory diseases.
GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, was founded in 2000 after the merger of two companies that have a storied history of developing several medications deemed essential by the World Health Organization. The London-based company went on to develop the world’s first malaria vaccine in 2014. GSK operates a Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru, where more than 1,800 employees work in a variety of business functions, including pharmaceutical research and development.
American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Company makes treatments for diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and endocrine disorders. Its best-known drugs include Prozac, Cialis and Trulicity. Eli Lilly & Company operates a capability center in Bengaluru.
Micro Labs is a Bengaluru pharmaceutical company that develops medications for a wide range of health conditions, but it is best known for developing Dolo-650, a pain reliever and fever reducer that rose to popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has 14 manufacturing facilities in India, including a Bengaluru plant that develops a wide range of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediate compounds.
Kemwell, which was established in 1980, is contracted by some of the largest multinational biopharmaceutical companies in the world to develop and manufacture biologic therapeutics. The company, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, also assists companies with process development, formulation development and analytical development.
Denmark-based Novo Nordisk is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The company, which develops drugs for diabetes, hemophilia and hormone-replacement therapy, established its Indian headquarters in Bengaluru in 1992. The company has since grown its Indian workforce to more than 1,300 employees, making it the fifth-largest multinational pharmaceutical company in India, according to its website.
Cipla is the third-largest pharmaceutical company in India, offering more than 1,500 pharmaceutical drugs across 65 therapeutic categories. The company develops therapies for patients with respiratory disease, cancer and other health conditions, including low-cost generic drugs for people living with HIV. The Mumbai-based company employs 26,000 people across 45 manufacturing facilities, two of which are in Bengaluru.
Johnson & Johnson owns a host of well-known consumer healthcare and pharma brands, including Band-Aid, Aveeno, Tylenol and Zyrtec. Its current research is in the areas of oncology, immunology, cardiovascular health and pulmonary hypertension. Johnson & Johnson has been in India for more than 70 years, and currently employs more than 3,500 people across the country.
AbbVie, the pharmaceutical arm of Abbott Laboratories, has developed some of the most popular drugs in the world, including Humira, which treats autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. It has developed therapies for more than 75 conditions in speciality areas such as oncology, immunology and neuroscience. Headquartered in the U.S., Abbvie employs more than 50,000 employees around the world, including at its office in Bengaluru.
Apotex is a Canadian pharmaceutical company that produces generic, biosimilar and new pharmaceutical drugs. In Bengaluru, it operates a 26,000-square-foot clinical operations facility that conducts clinical trials to test the bioequivalence of generic drugs. Bengaluru is also home to a 225,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that produces more than 50 active pharmaceutical ingredients for Apotex.
Biocon is one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in India. With more than 1,500 patents to its name, the Bengaluru company manufactures a variety of generic medications, as well as five biosimilar drugs and two novel therapeutics. The company has a global workforce of more than 13,500 employees and focuses on the development of drugs for diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Medreich develops and manufactures drugs on a contract basis for pharmaceutical companies in more than 60 countries. The company, which has a global workforce of nearly 4,000 employees, is headquartered in Bengaluru, where it operates a R&D facility and five manufacturing plants. The company, which was established in 1973, was acquired by Japanese conglomerate Meiji Group in 2015.
Clinical research organization Parexel designs and conducts clinical trials for biopharmaceutical companies. Its clinical trials have helped to develop around 95 percent of the top 200 biopharmaceuticals currently on the market. Parexel is based in the United States, and employs nearly one quarter of its workers in India.
Cad Pharma supplies companies from the U.S. and Europe with pharmaceutical drugs from Indian companies. It’s capable of producing finished products as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients, excipients and intermediate compounds. The Bengaluru company, which was established in 2003, also offers marketing and regulatory support to companies that want to enter the Indian market.
Thermo Fisher is an American company that offers a variety of products and services in the pharmaceutical sector. The company can assist pharma companies with everything from research for drug discovery to the logistics of a clinical trial. It can also develop and manufacture advanced therapeutics, like cell and gene therapies, for clients on a contract basis. The company has a strong presence in India, including three offices in Bengaluru.
Teva Pharmaceuticals is an Israeli pharmaceutical company that manufactures 3,500 different medications — mostly generic — at 70 manufacturing facilities around the world. In Bengaluru, the company operates a pathology lab and bioequivalence center for R&D activities. Bengaluru is also home to Teva’s global business services team, which includes finance, procurement and other business operations.
Strides Pharma Science Limited is a Bengaluru pharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of complex generic medications. It’s also one of the world’s largest manufacturers of soft gelatin capsules. The company employs more than 200 scientists at its Bengaluru R&D lab, and it operates eight manufacturing facilities around the world.
Jubilant Pharmova, which employs a global workforce of 5,500 employees, manufactures a mix of radiopharmaceuticals, immunotherapies and sterile injectables. At its lab in Bengaluru, the company researches, develops and manufactures proprietary therapies for oncology, metabolic disorders and diseases affecting the central nervous system.
IQVIA is a consulting firm that provides clinical research, analytics and technology solutions to pharmaceutical companies around the world. It has a particular expertise in clinical trials and regulatory compliance. More than 20,000 of its 86,000 employees live in India. Its India R&D team and analytics services teams are based in Bengaluru.
Bal Pharma Limited is a pharmaceutical company with five manufacturing facilities — two of which are in Bengaluru, where the company is headquartered. In addition to prescription drugs, the company manufactures the active pharmaceutical ingredients used in diabetes medication, antihistamines and other drugs. The company, which was established in 1992, exports its pharmaceutical products to Asia, Africa and other international markets.
Syngene is contracted to research, develop and manufacture drugs for pharmaceutical, biotech, and animal healthcare companies. Established in 1993, Syngene employs more than 5,500 scientists. It’s headquartered in Bengaluru, where it operates dedicated research and development facilities for Bristol Myers Squibb, Baxter and Amgen. It also has a R&D facility in Hyderabad and a manufacturing facility in Mangalore.
Stelis Biopharma is contracted to develop and manufacture biopharmaceutical drugs, including microbial, mammalian and other modalities. With three facilities spanning nearly 280,000 square feet, the Bengaluru company offers a full spectrum of capabilities, from the early-stage development of drug substances to the manufacturing of finished pharmaceutical products.
Global pharma and crop science company Bayer has several facilities in Bengaluru, including an Innovation Hub, a Biotech Research Centre and a Mega Breeding Station. The company, famous for producing the first commercial aspirin, now works in agriculture and consumer health products in addition to pharmaceuticals.
Dove Pharmaceuticals can help pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the U.S. and other markets source pharmaceutical products from India, and it also imports active pharmaceutical ingredients to companies in India. The company was established in 1998 in Bengaluru, where its head office is located. In 2018, it opened a branch office in Ahmedabad.
Baxter makes IV solutions, dialysis therapies, surgical equipment and respiratory health devices. The company was founded in 1931 and has been working in India for more than 25 years. Baxter maintains both a research and development center and an IT center in Bengaluru.
