Himalaya, one of top ten companies in pharmaceutical industry in India

SEVENTY-five years ago, the founder of the The Himalaya Drug Company, M. Manal, chanced upon a plant with anti-hypertensive properties and produced a drug from it. Since then, the company has been busy combining the best of modern science and age-old Ayurvedic wisdom to create a wide spectrum of health products.

The result is a highly-regarded range of products that is sold in 60 countries across the world.
Incidentally, Ayurveda means “the science of life’’ and it is an ancient, holistic system of medication practised in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. At Himalaya, these age-old secrets are studied, evaluated and validated by a team of more than 40 doctors and scientists who work at a research centre in Bangalore, India. Research on one herb can take up to 12 years before it is marketed.



To ensure the purity of the herbs it uses, Himalaya controls the agricultural process and has a dedicated database of herb suppliers, a nursery and an agrotech division which supplies the “raw materials’’.





Because Ayurveda is a fully developed system of medicine that includes branches of study like anatomy, physiology and pathology, as well as specialties like paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry and surgery, Himalaya has been able to develop an extensive range of products which includes supplements for men, women and children; a personal care range which includes skincare, body-care and hair care products as well as a range of pure herbs for general well-being, will be distributed via all major pharmacies nationwide as well as its stand-alone store in Kuala Lumpur's Mid Valley Megamall.

The store is operated by Embun Elit Sdn Bhd, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare's sole distributor for Malaysia.

A new baby care range will soon be available in Malaysia.

Among the big sellers in the pharmaceutical range are a herbal antibiotic and a cough syrup. Its most sought after product for the liver has been a top-seller since it was introduced in 1955.

The pure herb range includes over 20 products for general well-being, and these include Brahmi which is said to improve alertness, Karela to regulate metabolism, Yasthi-Madhu for gastric comfort, Neem which alleviates skin problems and Lasuna for cholesterol protection.

The skin and body care range includes face creams, shampoos, hair oil, face packs and unbleached toothpaste. The Himalaya Revitalizing Night Cream won an award for Best Night Cream in the Woman’s Health and Fitness magazine awards in the United States last year.

These products are sold in bright and breezy stores both in Malaysia and elsewhere, and the concept the brand projects through its outlets is “a one-stop shop for the whole family’’.

Prices range between RM5 and RM20 for body-care products and RM25 and RM45 for supplements.

In 2004, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, the biggest herbal healthcare company in India, picks Malaysia as its regional hub

Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, one of the top 10 companies in the pharmaceutical industry in India in terms of unit sales

Sue Ong, the CEO of the company that sells Himalaya Herbal Healthcare in Malaysia was head of the Clinique brand of skincare and cosmetics for 22 years before she retired last August, Clinique comes under the vast umbrella of the US Estee Lauder Group.

Her foray into this venture began with a fateful phone call from a good friend from India back in 2004: “My friend, Moideenkutty, has an estate which supplies herbs to Himalaya. He heard that they were looking for a new distributor in Malaysia, so he called me.”

Himalaya has, in fact, been available in Malaysia since the early 1990s, but the two previous distributors were both doctors and sold it on prescription and not as a consumer brand. The company was growing very fast and was looking to have the products made available directly to the end-user, thus the need for a new distributor.

“Kutty said that they wanted to make a decision quickly, so my husband and I jumped on a plane to India,’’ Ong recalls.

The rest, as they say, is history: Ong, her businessman husband, Joseph Foong, and a pharmacist friend met with Himalaya’s CEO Ravi Prasad in Bangalore and were briefed on the products and given a tour of the research and manufacturing facilities.

“I was a bit apprehensive initially because I’d hadn’t even heard of the brand but we were very impressed with the research and development that went into the products.”

That was her first trip to the subcontinent and despite being unfamiliar with Ayurvedic medicine, she and her team still managed to make a good impression on the Indians.

“I am not a businesswoman but my husband was keen on the brand. Besides, I still had my old job. So we decided that he would start the company and I would help him with my marketing know-how. That was the plan at first,’’ she recalls.

As it turned out, Ong found herself increasing fascinated by the Ayurvedic approach to health which led her to delve into Himalaya's many supplements. Before long, she was so passionate about the brand and its potential that she decided to retire from Clinique and join her husband full-time. More than that, she took over the reins from him.

Looking back, she marvels at how they were able to secure the brand. After all, several big Malaysian corporations had approached Prasad without success.

Ong believes she managed to win him over with her forthrightness and determination.

“I told him that I have nothing to offer except my marketing experience and a lot of pride because I am Chinese! I said if I took it on, I’d make sure it worked.’’

Himalaya opened its first store in MidValley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur in mid-2004 and that same year, she managed to get a selection of its pure herbal remedies, skincare and body-care products onto shelves at selected Guardian pharmacy outlets.

Last year, she opened a new store in 1 Utama shopping centre in Petaling Jaya and another in Tebrau City in Johor Baru early this year. The KLCC outlet opened for business in April.

Apart from the thrill of running her own thriving business, Ong is determined to promote Himalaya because she truly believes in it. Her local business partner, Marcel Gan, puts it most succinctly: “To Sue, it's simple: good things are meant to be shared. She is renowned for her love of sharing good food with people around her and now she’s doing the same with Himalaya.’’

Ong’s own take on this is simple: “I’ve seen so many sick people – friends and relatives. My own sister died of cancer. When she was very sick, I used to buy her a lot of health food, some of which cost a lot of money ? but at that point you don’t care (how much),’’ she says. “No business is a charity, but it shouldn’t take advantage and charge an arm and a leg for health products.’’

And this is exactly why Himalaya’s business philosophy is so close to her heart: “Himalaya advocates living a healthy lifestyle and it is so affordable that everyone can buy. We don’t take advantage of people when they need help.’’

Link: Tradition meet science

Excerpt from The Star

Tag: Cosmetic : Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness: Skincare : Biotechnology pharmaceutical