In 1955, The Himalaya Drug Company launched a pharma brand in the Indian market. Today, 'Liv.52' one of the most successful brand stories in Indian pharmaceutical business, is currently ranked by ORG to be the sixth among 20,000 odd pharma brands of all disciplines across the country.

Even as the product completes 50 years in the market, relatively new herbal product companies are launching variants and improved versions of Himalaya's flagship liver care product.

However, Liv.52 remains the most successful brand saga ever in this sector, primarily because it was the first completely herbal and effective liver care drug to have hit the market. Said Himalaya Drugs Business Head for Pharma Division Philipe J Haydon, "Apart from the first mover advantage, what helped the brand was the fact that it was doubtlessly a good product. Repeat purchases from customers is what supported the product."

Liv.52 is a typical example of innovation at the company that backs every product with at least ten years of research, before it hits the market. "The research team in the 50's was given the task of finding a natural remedy that improved liver function, which was a great concern to many people at that time," said Mr. Haydon. Under the leadership of Roshan Captain, who was the head of Himalaya's R & D 1950's, several coded liver formulations were prepared. "During the trials, one of the formulations, coded 52 was found to be responsible for remarkable recovery from Hepatitis. This led to wider product testing and tests in different parts of India where formula 52 showed significant improvements in liver function". When doctors who conducted trials of formula 52 began to ask for more samples company founder M.Manal branded the product "Liv.52".

Being a prescription drug, all promotions of the product in the country were driven through doctors. The company also runs information campaigns to improve consumer awareness on liver disorders and other patient information campaigns through leaflets in clinics and drug stores, to promote the brand.

Over the years, the product has grown to be the flagship brand of the company's pharma business, accounting for 32% of its Rs 165 crore pharma sales. "Liv.52, for us, has defied all brand life cycle expectations," said Mr. Haydon, "The product's sales, even after 50 years, registers an annual growth rate of 7 to 8%. The brand will continue to grow over the future years also, given that the market it serves is growing 6 to 8% annually."

Apart from the domestic market, the product is also exported to around 50 countries around the globe. According to the company, every second, one unit of the product is bought somewhere in the world. "The popularity of the product has prompted nearly 300 studies in the globe to be based on it, the largest on a single product" said Mr. Haydon.

Priced competitively as other livercare products, it is available six variants, in drops, syrups and tablets. Today, the scope of the product has widened from just being a liver formulation for hepatitis to being used in the treatment of Anorexia, alcohol induced liver damage and drug induced ill effects on the liver. Even today, this drug is being researched for developing new variants at the company's R & D facility in Bangalore. The latest variant of the product was its double strength tablet format. "Research is an ongoing process. Just when we feel that we have found the best, we come across a new application for the drug. There is no end to it," Mr. Haydon says.