Everyone is entitled to proper medical care, right? Yes, of course! That’s why Emcure Pharmaceuticals made sure no one’s medical condition is left unattended.

Medicine thrives on technological processes. Without progress, humanity wouldn’t be able to fight off plagues and crises annually, and mortality levels would increase dramatically. In a full-of-life country like India, it’s ridiculous for patients not to have access to health care.

Diverse pharmaceutical products were not yet integrated onto every shelf in India, until a young chemist visionary, Satish Mehta entered the picture. A hopeful Satish managed to sky-rocket the first Indian pharmaceutical company by shipping Indian products globally.

By launching Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Satish aimed at aiding patients get proper, first-class treatment in fields like cardiology, gynecology, HIV and diabetes.

Through Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Satish built relationships with multinational pharmaceutical companies, which led to no Indian citizen being unable to get their accurate treatment.

The fascinating story of how Satish and his Emcure Pharmaceuticals reached the top Indian company with the most domestic sales teaches dedication and trust.

Continue reading to learn how Satish connected management and chemistry and invented a therapeutic powerhouse!

Budding Years

Satish Metha was born in Pune, India in the early 1950s. Growing up in a Punjabi household, Satish was taught to be caring and generous. His family tried their best to teach him the proper values to survive in life, and that was through forming a friendly parent-child bond. Satish was kind, talkative, and very active.

He did not like to stay still in one place and was always curious to find out more. As a naturally-gifted child, Satish’s parents were thrilled when they noticed he excelled in school. Apart from being charismatic, their child had an impressive brain.

There was nothing Satish enjoyed more than spending time with the family. His talent for mathematics and logistics was evident even when the young boy was in elementary school. Most of all, Satish grew fascinated with helping people. He believed that if he could use his smarts for good, maybe Indian citizens can too get the chance for treatment like the rest of the world.

This is when Satish decided that he would focus his life on chemistry to fulfill the benevolent side of him, as well as bring business into the matter. Satish would promise that no Indian folk will go unhealed or with no access to adequate health care.

Building Character

In the early 1970s, Satish had entered Pune University to study Science and Chemistry. He came out as a graduate in Science, and as a postgraduate in Chemistry, later on. This was Satish’s devotion to his craft, as well as a pinch of talent. He was a few steps closer to achieving his dream of giving India access to a genuine cure.

Satish did not settle with the knowledge garnered at the university, and he went on to pursue a postgraduate degree in management. It was Satish’s strategic move to get closer to forming his own startup.

After graduating, Satish shuffled between companies within the pharmaceutical industry. He wanted to learn which products his country was lacking, and which are sold big on the market. His goal was to develop pharmaceutical products from internal sources - it was a chance to give India some credit where it deserves.

Blessed with vast jungles abundant in herbs, why would India have to rely on global imports, instead of domestic?

Step by Step

Apart from being bright and colorful, the 80s were exciting for Satish as well. He was finally gathering up the courage to start his own pharmaceutical company that will produce global medical products. In the early 1980s, Satish started working as a contract manufacturer for multinationals in his native Pune. There he learned a thing or two about business venturing.

After growing more in experience and expertise, Satish decided to launch Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in April 1981. He was appointed a director who’ll focus on developing his own branded products, later on.

The company had the goal to manufacture pharmaceutical products from domestic sources. This means that there’s an opportunity to commercialize, market and profit from selling the products across areas.

Satish wanted to pay homage to Indian scientists who have developed drugs for treating cardiovascular diseases, HIV, gynecological diseases, and neurological issues, to state a few.

Emcure Pharmaceutical Ltd. boasts an extensive medical portfolio, including tablets, soft gel capsules, injectables, lotions, and much more. Satish was slowly getting his truth across, and his Emcure was following suit. Its biopharmaceutical products were getting in demand on a global level, just because of their wide range of available and affordable therapies.

Through the Years

It’s not that Satish and Emcure Pharmaceutical didn’t encounter troubles, it just did not happen soon. Despite being present in over 70 countries, Emcure faced its fair share of difficulties.

Even though it was a decade later, and Satish had successfully started distributing his own brand of products, mishaps happened. Satish’s affiliate company Heritage Pharmaceuticals encountered a deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice. This was because of the conspiracy concerning glyburide. Right after, the company had to pay $7.1M.

After this, and the Pfizer recall of 2010, Emcure launched an initial public offering in 2014. Then, investor Blackstone sold its stakes in Emcure to Brain Capital.

The company did get back up for a while after and had managed to contract world-class infrastructure and facilities approved by drug regulatory authorities from multiple countries. Satish was also clever enough to start an alliance with MNCS, which allowed Indian citizens to get first-class medicine at a reasonable price.

Some Breakthroughs

After a few years of downfalls, Emcure got a sense of recognition from Roche when they signed a deal for manufacturing anticancer drugs. This was a first for India, and under the same program, cancer drugs would be available to Indian citizens at an affordable cost.

It was during this time that Emcure created forums under the name PRERNA, which is a women-employee empowerment community. This proved that Satish’s inventions included a wide variety of innovative ideas.

When the pandemic struck, Satish and Emcure did not rest. He participated in creating India’s first mRNA vaccine by Genova. Genova was a subsidiary of Emcure Pharma, and the vaccine should be available to everyone by the end of the year. Satish himself stated that he was pleased with the mRNA vaccine outcome, and he will soon apply for the next phase trials.

As luck would have it, Emcure Pharmaceuticals had to do another initial public offering in August 2021. This time Brain Capital backed Emcure when they filed IPO papers with Sebi.

Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Today

Today, Emcure Pharmaceuticals has more than 9000 employees working in facilities, laboratories, and the development of fine domestic medical aids.

Its headquarters are still in Pune, India but the company has spread to 70 other countries as well. Today, Satish Mehta is worth a whopping $1.7B and is among the richest men in India.

However, before Satish’s Emcure became a hit, it had to face the competition coming from companies like La Renon, Mithra, and Claris Injectibles, among others.

It’s been known that Emcure’s top revenue comes from North America, totaling $650 million generated yearly. It’s been ranked the 12th top pharmaceutical company in India, and that’s only coming from domestic sales.

Existing since the 80s, the magic of Emcure did not wear off. The company’s wide vision to create a healthy safe space for patients with a wide range of issues made them the number one pick.

By focusing on vast healthcare needs, Emcure managed to draw the attention of the domestic audience, which is always a tough deal to crack. By giving Indian citizens the chance to see their country’s abilities, Satish made Indians appreciate their land more.

Simply by being talented and motivated, Satish managed to burst the Indian healthcare business and conquer the global market. Satish’s story teaches readers that by having a benevolent goal, all outcomes can be surpassed.