The 75-year-old ayurveda company is preparing for a major foray into the complex Russian market with at least 25 products from its therapeutic, wellness, and personal care ranges, according to Mr Ravi Prasad, President of the closely-held Rs 400-crore company.

"We are working out a marketing plan for both single and multiple ingredient products. Next year, we will launch quite a few of them in Russia," he told Business Line.

Six products meant for serious indications have been registered and some more registrations are expected to come shortly.

Among them are multi-ingredient pharmaceuticals, the one-herb powder versions or `Pure Herbs', for which registration is expected in a month, and the cosmeceuticals or the skin and hair care range. The baby care range may follow in the second lap.

In recent months, Himalaya has conducted extensive toxicity and clinical studies on adults and children in at least seven hospitals and medical institutes in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The market will not be entirely new as a handful of products have been available there for several years; for example, Liv.52, the company's flagship, according to Mr Prasad, is a household name in Russia.

Liv.52 formed a major part of the latest trials. "Himalaya is already present in Russia and a few CIS countries and this will deepen our presence there," Mr Prasad said.

The products will be sold at the local apothecaries, while printing of brochures in Russian have been initiated to back low-key campaigns through a sizeable team of 80 representatives to cover the entire country.

The market is large and buoyant but pharma companies consider Russia a tough market to breach because of its high benchmarks and rigid regulatory procedures.

Russia, along with its CIS siblings, would be a significant arena for the company.

"More and more Russians are taking to herbal products on a daily basis. I would not be able to give you a figure on (the Russian market potential) but on a per capita consumption basis, I think Russia would be one of our top 3-5 (consuming) countries."

Outside India, Himalaya's big markets are the UAE with its large expatriate presence and the US, while Malaysia and South-East Asia are catching up.

The company has been increasing its retail presence through new outlets and exclusive stores.