Cipla Limited is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company manufactures a wide range of generic and branded medicines, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and consumer healthcare products, and is among the largest pharmaceutical firms in India.
| Name | Cipla Limited |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Founder | Khwaja Abdul Hamied |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Country | India |
| Type | Public company |
| Listings | BSE, NSE |
Cipla was founded as The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratories in 1935 by Khwaja Abdul Hamied, a chemist who had returned to India after his studies in Europe. The firm was set up with the aim of building indigenous capacity in medicines at a time when India relied heavily on imported drugs. The name "Cipla" was later adopted from the initials of the original company name.
After the founder's death, leadership of the company passed to his son Yusuf Hamied, who became closely associated with the company's identity as a producer of affordable medicines. Yusuf Hamied has served as chairman, while his brother M. K. Hamied has also held senior positions in the company.
Cipla manufactures finished dosage forms and active pharmaceutical ingredients across a broad portfolio that includes respiratory inhalers, anti-infectives, antiretrovirals, cardiovascular drugs, oncology products, and consumer health items. It operates manufacturing facilities in several locations in India and has subsidiaries and partnerships in multiple countries.
Cipla is considered one of the pioneers of the modern Indian pharmaceutical industry. Its early focus on indigenous drug manufacturing contributed to India's emergence as a major global producer of generic medicines. The company's role in lowering the cost of antiretroviral therapy in the early 2000s is widely cited in discussions of pharmaceutical patents, generic competition, and public health, particularly in relation to the HIV/AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries.