When Vinita Gupta joined Lupin in 1992, she had already set her eyes on the goal – taking the homegrown pharma company to international markets and transforming Lupin into a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry. Everything she did in the following years was a bid to reach this target. From taking a deep dive in researching potential markets for expansion, to identifying niches they could develop drugs for, Gupta did it all.

Her hard work was rewarded when, in the early 2000s, Lupin forayed into the US market. With this, India’s largest maker of anti-TB drugs went on to become the only Asian pharmaceutical company to receive US FDA approvals for its sterile Cephalosporin facility at Mandideep in 2001. Besides generics, Vinita also ventured into the brand side of the business in the US in 2003, with the launch of Suprax.

“That moment when we got the FDA approval was the golden moment for me – for us to be the first company out of India to get approved for injectible manufacturing,” says Vinita, whose father Desh Bandhu Gupta is known for his great work in the field of TB drugs. She recalls that her father would often talk about building the business with so much of passion and purpose that it felt like it was the best thing to be a part of. “I was clear that I want to join the business and make a difference,” she adds.

And that she has. Lupin is today the fourth largest pharmaceutical player in the US by prescriptions (IQVIA MAT March 2018) and the third largest Indian pharmaceutical company by global revenues (December 30, 2017, Bloomberg LTM). Their drugs and products are available across 100 countries globally including US, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Philippines and Europe and have 398 Cumulative ANDA filings as on 31st March, 2018.

To bolster their presence globally, Vinita also spearheaded a spate of expansions to expand into newer geographies, build capabilities and diversify the portfolio of brands.  This, in turn, has enabled Lupin to create a strong foundation in generics, complex generics as well as specialty business. As a result, even as the competition in the pharmaceutical industry heats up and pricing pressure builds, Vinita is confident of Lupin continuing its growth trajectory.