India is the largest supplier of low-cost generics, vaccines and affordable medicines, earning its title as “the world’s pharmacy.” And with its growing number of biopharma parks and research institutes dedicated to life sciences, Pune is becoming a major contributor to the country’s reputation. With its high number of pharma-focused manufacturing units, the city has also been identified as a key hub for chemicals and medical devices. Collectively, Maharashtra is responsible for 20 percent of the country’s pharma exports.
Below are some of Pune’s top-performing pharmaceutical companies, supplying affordable, over-the-counter medications while spearheading healthcare innovations with a global impact.
Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Pune to Know
- Emcure Pharmaceuticals
- Johnson & Johnson
- Hindustan Antibiotics Limited
- Lupin
- Roche
- Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.
- Bharat Serum and Vaccines Limited
- NuLife Pharmaceuticals
17 Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Pune
Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, develops bio-therapeutics and vaccines using recombinant DNA technologies and bio-manufacturing processes. Its flagship product, the Elaxim 40 Injection, is an emergency treatment for heart attacks that has been delivered more than 200,000 times since its creation in 2007. The Pune-based company also gained significant attention for its Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, HGC019.
NuLife Pharmaceuticals develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of pharmaceutical products. Tablets, capsules, liquids, ointments and Ayurvedic formulations make up this company’s portfolio of flagship products, including earwax dissolvent Soliwax Ear Drops, a topical medication for warts, corns and calluses known as Salactin Paint and scabies treatment Gamascab Lotion. Founded in 1973, NuLife has corporate offices in both Mumbai and Pune, as well as a World Health Organization-certified manufacturing unit located in Pimpri, near Pune.
Lupin was founded in 1968 to combat the spread of tuberculosis in India. Today, the Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company provides medications for pediatric, diabetic, cardiovascular, asthma and anti-tuberculosis care to more than 100 countries. This includes branded and generic drugs, biosimilars, active pharmaceutical ingredients and over-the-counter products like dietary supplements and hand sanitizers. Lupin’s manufacturing site in Pune is one of 18 facilities worldwide supporting its international workforce of 20,000 people across six continents.
Headquartered in Pune, the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, producing more than 1.5 billion doses annually. Its portfolio includes vaccines for diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria, tetanus and Covid-19. Founded in 1966, the biotech company plays a vital role in global immunization efforts, as it supplies vaccines to more than 140 countries.
Bharat Serum and Vaccines Limited develops vaccines, blood products and critical care medicines, with a special focus on women’s health and assisted reproductive therapies. Its product portfolio includes vaccines for hepatitis, diphtheria and tetanus, as well as oral and injectable drugs for pain management caused by endometriosis. While the company is headquartered in Mumbai, BSV collaborates with healthcare providers local to Pune as a core distributor in the area and has entered a research partnership with the city’s National Chemical Laboratory.
MSD Animal Health, the veterinary division of global healthcare company Merck & Co., produces more than 102 billion doses of vaccines per year. Its portfolio covers a wide range of products and services, including hormonal, nutraceutical and tech solutions that cater to various species, including companion animals, ruminants, equine, pigs, poultry and aquaculture. In India, MSD’s registered office in Pune serves as the central hub for operations and customer engagement across the country.
Roche is one of the world’s largest biotech companies, with a 100,000-person workforce that operates in more than 100 countries. Its pharmaceutical division is known for developing essential medications like antibiotics, antimalarials and oncological therapies that treat infectious and chronic diseases including cancer, hepatitis, HIV and influenza. In 2024, Roche opened its new Digital Centre of Excellence in Pune, a 200,000 square foot campus built to host more than 1,000 employees.
Global pharma company Johnson & Johnson develops medical devices, consumer healthcare products and pharmaceuticals — which make up more than half of the New Jersey-based company’s total sales, reaching 95 billion in 2023. The company established roots in India more than 70 years ago, where it produces treatments across therapeutic areas like oncology and neuroscience, along with antiretroviral drugs for HIV, cancer therapies and the only single-shot Covid-19 vaccine. Beyond medicine, it conducts bio-research for its consumer products, including Listerine, Band-Aids and Tylenol.
Emcure Pharmaceuticals distributes more than 350 brands of formulations, biologics and active pharmaceutical ingredients worldwide. Headquartered in Pune, the company specializes in HIV antivirals, as well as other major therapeutic segments, including gynecology, oncology and blood-related conditions. In total, Emcure has 13 manufacturing facilities and five research and development centers throughout India.
Bilcare offers services like packaging, research and clinical trial testing to pharmaceutical companies. From its two plants located in Pune and Nashik, the company has an annual manufacturing capacity of 50,000 tons. Here, Bilcare wraps medicines using high-quality packaging materials out of specialty polymer films and aluminum foils that’s embedded with anti-counterfeiting technologies to enhance drug safety and patient compliance.
Dr. Silviu Pharmachem specializes in the production of high-quality chemicals, particularly focusing on porphyrin chemistry. With a portfolio of 125 chemical products, the Pune-based company offers a wide range of formulations and custom synthesis services to research institutes, universities and industries worldwide. Known for its expertise in developing and supplying organic compound porphyrin and its derivatives, Dr. Silviu Pharmachem caters to both small-scale and large-scale orders, manufacturing batches sized at a few milligrams to more than several hundred kilograms.
German biopharma company Fresenius Kabi specializes in injectable drugs for use in anesthetics, oncology, anti-infection and critical care therapies. With international headquarters in Pune, the company’s portfolio of intravenous products include infusion, transfusion and medical nutrition, such as enteral and parenteral nutrition products, that nourish patients who cannot consume food by mouth. Of all its U.S.-shipped products, more than 70 percent are considered essential medicines by the Food and Drug Administration.
Founded in 2006, Biopharmax India Private Limited is a subsidiary of the global Biopharmax Group. Headquartered in Pune, the company’s in-house teams design and construct manufacturing facilities for the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, starting from the conceptual design stage through validation, delivering a fully operational turnkey project.
Bioved Pharmaceuticals specializes in natural, plant-based nutraceuticals and over-the-counter products inspired by Ayurveda. The California-based company operates a research facility in Pune, where it produces customized analysis and reports for companies on a contractual basis. Operating in both human and animal health markets, Bioved has more than 50 plants in its plant library that are used to create products like bone and joint health supplement Artex and the Artovid-20 immunity booster.
Founded in 1954, Hindustan Antibiotics Limited is one of India’s oldest and largest public sector pharmaceutical companies. Operating from its main facility in Pune, the company manufactures a wide range of antibiotics, including penicillin, streptomycin, amoxycillin and other drugs in various dosage forms. Hindustan Antibiotics is known for its contribution to affordable healthcare in India, supplying both the domestic and international markets with essential, high-quality medications.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals operates in more than 80 countries, producing generic, branded, and over-the-counter medicines for conditions like respiratory, dermatologic and oncologic diseases. Known for products like the nasal spray Ryaltris and the Covid-19 treatment FabiFlu, the Mumbai-based company maintains a manufacturing facility in Pune and has four research and development centers across India, including a small molecule research center, where it focuses on developing curative therapies for specific cancers.
Energize Pharmaceuticals is a Pune-based company focused on providing high-quality healthcare products. Its product portfolio includes tablets for inflammation management and gastrointestinal conditions, as well as supplements that support skin, bone and overall health. Founded in 2014, Energize Pharma is a fast-growing company that supplies formulations to domestic and international markets.
