Herbal major Himalaya Drug Company, which already has a wide presence in the Middle East, is all set to enter the Saudi market followed by Jordan and Lebanon later, a top official of the company said.

"Our entry into Saudi Arabia is scheduled for this month. We also plan to make a foray into the market in Jordan and Lebanon," the company President and CEO, Mr Ravi Prasad.

"We are studying the viability of large-scale manufacturing in this part of the world," he said. The company is poised for aggressive growth in the pharma market in the Middle East, which is estimated at $3 billion, he said.

Himalaya is exporting over twenty formulations in the Middle East with Cystone (for kidney stones and urinary tract) being the flagship product.

"In fact, Cystone has become the market leader in its therapeutic segment in most of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries," Mr Prasad said.

The trend for herbal products is 'very positive' in the Middle East. The competition for Ayurvedic products is mainly from US and Europe, he said.

"We are also into the Pakistan market where we are marketing select products from our pharmaceutical and personal care range," Mr Prasad said, adding the company would like to extend its product offerings for this market and introduce the entire range.