Wockhardt is an Indian

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

and

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

company headquartered in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, India. It produces

formulation Formulation is a term used in various senses in various applications, both the material and the abstract or formal. Its fundamental meaning is the putting together of components in appropriate relationships or structures, according to a formula ...

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

s, nutrition products,

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

s and

active pharmaceutical ingredient An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biological activity, biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of ...

s (APIs). The company has manufacturing plants in India, UK, Ireland, France and US, and subsidiaries in US, UK, Ireland and France.

History

Wockhardt was founded by Dr.

Habil Khorakiwala Habil Khorakiwala is the founder and Chairman of Indian Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Wockhardt. He founded Wockhardt in 1967, which since then has grown into one of the top Indian makers of gen ...

in the 1960s. His father Fakhruddin T. Khorakiwala had acquired Worli Chemical Works in 1959. This was incorporated as Wockhardt Pvt. Ltd., in 1973. Wockhardt Ltd. was incorporated on 8 July 1999. In the 1990s, Wockhardt gained market share with its painkiller Proxyvon (opioid

tramadol Tramadol, sold under the brand name Tramal among others, is an opioid analgesic, pain medication and a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release form ...

paracetamol Paracetamol, or acetaminophen, is a non-opioid analgesic and antipyretic agent used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. It is a widely available over-the-counter drug sold under various brand names, including Tylenol and Panadol. Parac ...

) and blood pressure drugs (

lisinopril Lisinopril is a medication belonging to the drug class of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), heart failure, and heart attacks. For high blood pressure it is usually a first- ...

, etc.). In 1995, it expanded into

, and subsequently started producing

intravenous fluid Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutr ...

s. In 1999, Wockhardt joined the

Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) is an association of domestic Indian pharmaceutical companies. IPA was founded in August 1999 by Dilip G Shah and six Indian drugmakers: Cipla, Dr. Reddy's, Lupin, Piramal, Ranbaxy, and Wockhardt. IPA was ...

as a founding member in an effort to promote the development of generic drugs in India. Wockhardt is the first company outside the US and Europe to manufacture recombinant human insulin. In 2011, Wockhardt sold its nutrition business to

Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...

for $356 million. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Wockhardt signed a contract with the

Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

to fill-finish the

Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine The Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine, sold under the brand names Covishield and Vaxzevria among others, is a viral vector vaccine COVID-19 vaccine, for the prevention of COVID-19. It was developed in the United Kingdom by University of ...

at the company's facility in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The contract was extended until August 2022. In August 2021, Wockhardt announced that it signed an agreement with Dubai-based Enso Healthcare and Russian firm Human Vaccine LLC to contract manufacture the

Sputnik V Sputnik V (, the brand name from the Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF) or Gam-COVID-Vac (, the name under which it is legally registered and produced) is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Resea ...

and

Sputnik Light Sputnik Light () is a single dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. It consists of the first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on the Ad26 vector, and it can be store ...

vaccines in India.

Mergers and acquisitions

Wockhardt's acquisitions include Wallis Laboratory, UK (1998); Merind, India (1998); CP Pharmaceuticals, UK (2003); Espharma GmbH, Germany (2004); Dumex, India (2006); Pinewood Laboratory Ireland (2006); Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, US (2007); and Negma, France (2007). Wockhardt's debt following the acquisitions was close to Rs 38 billion, and

quit as managing director. The board of directors, on 31 March 2009 approved the appointments of Habil Khorakiwala's sons Murtaza Khorakiwala and Huzaifa Khorakiwala as managing director and executive director respectively.

Philanthropy and education

* Wockhardt Foundation * Wockhardt Global Schools

In popular culture

Wockhardt is known for producing cough syrup with the

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or Psychomotor agitation, excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) Depressant, depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its decelera ...

promethazine Promethazine, sold under the brand name Phenergan among others, is a first-generation antihistamine, sedative, and antiemetic used to treat allergies, insomnia, and nausea. It may also help with some symptoms associated with the common cold a ...

and the opiate

codeine Codeine is an opiate and prodrug of morphine mainly used to treat pain, coughing, and diarrhea. It is also commonly used as a recreational drug. It is found naturally in the sap of the opium poppy, ''Papaver somniferum''. It is typically use ...

, used in the recreational street drug lean, which is sometimes referred to as "Wock", short for Wockhardt.

References

External links