Liv.52 and Ayurvedic Concepts may be household names, but does the name Himalaya ring a bell? Probably not. Hence, Himalaya Drug Company (HDC), which manufactures these well known products, has decided to unify all its offerings under a single global brand 'Himalaya'.

The Rs. 250-crore company felt that as the herbal healthcare market is fragmented globally, there is great opportunity for it to consolidate as a herbal healthcare leader.

Sensing this opening, the company has decided to become a global entity by launching a manufacturing facility outside India in the UAE. It also has plans to elect partners to cover broad distribution channels.

Said company President and CEO, Mr. Ravi Prasad, "The global market for herbal healthcare is estimated at $50 billion. To tap this, we have opened offshore offices in the
US, UAE and Venezuela. After coming under the name 'Himalaya' our brands will occupy mindspaces better."

The company plans to double its revenue in the next five years, with a 50 per cent export billing. Currently, the export billing is around 12 per cent of the annual sales revenue. The products are being exported to 50 countries.

The company has no plans to go public in the near future, Ravi Prasad said. "Many public companies have not been successful in promoting their brands," he explained.

Research is on to develop drugs to tackle tropical diseases such as malaria. The company is also ambitiously working on developing drugs to tackle AIDS and cancer.

HDC plans to launch six new drugs in the market next year. Research on these products are at a final stage, executive director (research and technical services) S.K. Mitra said.