Sun Pharma: Global Is Local
Since starting out in 1983, Sun Pharma has grown to become India’s largest and most valuable pharmaceutical company by market capitalisation with global revenues of $4 billion. Even as its business has grown from strength to strength organically, it has added new skills or entered new growth areas with the multiple acquisitions made since the 1990s. Having a portfolio of more than 2,000 products worldwide, the company is now the fifth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical major across the globe apart from being the fifth largest pharma company in the US and the largest in India. That is the reason that the esteemed jury members have ranked Sun Pharma in the top 20 of the Most Respected Companies Special Issue of BW Businessworld.
The company is operating 42 manufacturing sites across the world and has a presence in more than 100 countries across branded and generic drugs. In the US, the company markets a large basket of generics, with a strong pipeline awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The company says its growth drivers are based on three key pillars. One, vertically integrated business: Sun has a strong global presence, a vertically integrated business and an extremely skilled team. Two, Ability to develop specialty and difficult to make technology intensive products: At Sun, there is a strong focus on creating a pipeline of branded specialty and technologically complex products. Sun was one of first Indian pharma companies to invest in these areas. “We are meticulously nurturing the specialty business and have built a portfolio of about 10 specialty products, some of which have already been launched in the US,” says a company spokesperson. The third pillar is global manufacturing. “Over the years, the company has built a world-class manufacturing environment across all our plant sites, with globally accepted manufacturing practices, controls and standards. The company has over 40 manufacturing plants spread across the world,” says Dilip Shanghvi, Founder and MD of Sun Pharmaceuticals.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Sun Pharmaceuticals manufactures and sells pharmaceutical formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) primarily in India and the United States. The company offers formulations in various therapeutic areas, such as cardiology, psychiatry, neurology, gastroenterology and diabetology and has capabilities across dosage forms like injectables, sprays, ointments, creams, liquids, tablets and capsules.
It also offers specialty products, branded generics, complex generics, pure generics & APIs from its multiple manufacturing facilities approved by various regulatory authorities across the world including USFDA.
The 2014 acquisition of Ranbaxy, which is its largest so far, has made the company the largest pharma company in India, the largest Indian pharma company in US, and the fifth largest specialty generic company globally.
Over 68 per cent of Sun Pharma sales are from markets outside India, primarily in United States. The US is the single largest market, accounting for about 33 per cent of Sun Pharma’s turnover.
Sun is a global company that recognizes people’s passion for growth, gives them a voice and empowers them to realize their dreams 32,000-plus global employee base. As the company expanded its wings outside India, it was able to establish one global culture.
Furthermore, it provides women colleagues an environment of work life balance & safety to make them more friendly and comfortable. Apart from providing a facility of creche for working mothers, the company organizes physical safety programs, discussions on women health by leading doctors, training in gender sensitisation and prevention of sexual harassment.
