About Sun Pharmaceutical Ltd. in Survey no.214,Plot 20,Phase II, GIA, Piparria, Silvassa

Sun Pharma began in 1983 with just 5 products to treat psychiatry ailments. Sales were initially limited to two states in Eastern India. Sales were rolled out natiowide in 1985. Products for cardiology were introduced in 1987, and Monotrate, one of the first products launched then, countinues to be sold even today. Important products in Cardiology were later added; several of these introduced for the first time in India, and these brought patients the latest treatments at a sensible cost, a belief we've always lived by.

Realizing the fact that research is a critical growth driver, we established our first research center, SPARC, in 1993 and this created the base for strong product and process development that enabled growth in the subsequent years.

Sun Pharma was listed on the main stock exchanges in India in 1994; and the Rs. 55 crore issue of a Rs. 10 face value equity share offered at a premium of Rs. 140/-, was oversubscribed 55 times. The minimum 25% that was required under the regulations then for listing was offered to the public, the founder's family continues to hold a majority stake in Sun Pharma.

We used this money to build a greenfield site for API manufacture, as well as for acquisitions. For allowed acquisitions, typically companies or assets that allowed us entry into a new market or therapy area, assets that could be turned around and brought on track were identified.


Our first API manufacturing plant was built in Panoli in 1995, for access to high quality actives ahead of competition, and in order to tap the vast international opportunity for speciality APIs.

Another API plant, our Ahmednagar plant, was acquired from the multinational Knoll Pharmaceuticals in 1996, and expanded and substantially upgraded for regulated markets, with capacity addition over the years across differentiated API lines such as anticancers and peptides. This was the first several sensibly priced acquisitions, each of which would bring important parts to our long-term strategy.

In 1997, our headquarters shifted to Mumbai, India's commercial capital. We began the first of our international acquisitions with an initial $7.5 million investment in Caraco, Detroit. By 2000, we had completed 8 acquisitions, each such move adding new therapy areas or offering an entry to important international markets. A new research center was set up in Mumbai for generic product development for the US market. In India, as new therapy areas were entered into post acquisition; customer attention, product selection and focused marketing helped us gain a foothold in areas like orthopedics, gynecology, oncology, etc. From a ranking at 38th in 1994, by 2000 we were ranked 5th with a leadership in 8 of the 11 therapy areas that we are present in. The year 2000 was the year of turnaround at the US subsidiary, Caraco, as it began to receive approvals after successful inspection by the USFDA.

In December 2004, a research center spread over 16 acres was inaugurated by the President of India, with special lab space for drug discovery and innovation. The post 2005 years have witnessed important acquisitions to strengthen our US business- the purchase of manufacturing assets for controlled substances in Cranbury,NJ; that of a site to make creams and lotions in Bryan, that of Alkaloida, a Hungary based API and dosage form manufacturer , and, Chattem Ltd., a Tennessee-based controlled substance API manufacturer.

In September 2010 acquisition of Taro Pharmaceuticals doubled the size of our US business and brought us a range of generics including a strong line of dermatologicals. Taro's manufacturing facilities in Israel and Canada substantially add to our production capacity.