Himalaya Wellness Company (formerly Himalaya Drug Company) is an Indian multinational personal care and pharmaceutical company based in Bangalore. It was originally established by Mohammad Manal in Dehradun in 1930. It produces health care products under the name Himalaya Herbal Healthcare whose products include Ayurvedic ingredients. Its operations are spread across locations in India, United States, Middle East, Asia, Europe and Oceania, while its products are sold in 106 countries across the world. A hepatic drug, named Liv.52, is its flagship product, first introduced in 1955.
Himalaya Global Holdings (HGH), headquartered in the Cayman Islands, is the parent company of Himalaya Wellness Company and the global holding company of the group. Apart from Bangalore, HGH has regional head offices in Dubai, Singapore and Houston.
History
The Himalaya Drug Company was founded by Mohammad Manal, a nature lover, in Dehradun in the 1930s. Manal had the goal of commercialising Ayurvedic and herbal products to suit contemporary needs, by focusing on modern empirical research to demonstrate their efficacy.
The company moved to Bombay (Mumbai) in the 1950s. In 1955, it launched 'Liv.52', a hepato-protective, that became the flagship product of the company.
In 1975, Meraj Manal, Mohammad Manal's son, started a manufacturing unit in Bangalore, which helped the company grow its manufacturing capacity as well as to globalise.
Global markets
In 1996, the company entered the US market following the introduction of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. It then expanded into other countries.
As of 2015, the company sold its products in 91 countries with about 50% of its revenue from outside India. The company has a presence in 106 countries.
Products
Himalaya Herbal Healthcare has a very wide range of products, which include "pharmaceuticals, personal care, baby care, well-being, nutrition and animal health products." The company has more than 290 researchers that utilise Ayurvedic herbs and minerals.
Himalaya Neem face wash brand is reportedly the second biggest in India. Mothercare products were launched in 2016.
Controversies
Cyriac Abby Philips is a liver doctor who runs a highly-followed X (formerly Twitter) account where he posts laboratory analyses of unscientific and alternative medicines. He also warns the public against pseudoscience and medical misinformation prevalent in society and speaks out against unscientific claims propagated by the Indian AYUSH industry.
In September 2023, Himalaya Wellness, represented by Udaya Holla of Holla & Holla, obtained an ex parte injunction order against Philips without notifying him. To obtain the ex parte injunction, the advocates for the alternative medicine company alleged that Philips was being funded by modern medicine companies Cipla and Alchem and that his posts had negatively affected their client's profits, all without offering any proof. The injunction issued by the court requires X (formerly Twitter) to restrict access to Philips' account, which, as of September 28, 2023, has been withheld in India. Additionally, in a tersely worded sentence, the court order imposed a far-reaching prohibition that prevents Philips from sharing any negative content about the Himalaya Wellness Company. The ban effectively restricts Philips from posting or reposting information about the side effects of Himalaya Wellness' products, including Liv.52, and from disclosing the results of laboratory analyses of their proprietary Ayurvedic formulations. Legal experts criticized the order as disproportionate, pointing out that ex-parte injunctions are reserved for truly exceptional circumstances where informing the defendant would lead to significant and irreparable harm to the plaintiff, and a tweet does not qualify as such. Philips maintains that he has nothing to do with Cipla and Alchem, and that his claims against the Himalaya Wellness Company's products, like Liv. 52, are firmly grounded in robust scientific evidence, with all analyses open to public scrutiny.