‘Made in India’ traces Lupin founder’s rise and India’s pharma boom

MUMBAI: A new book chronicling the rise of Indian pharmaceuticals through the life of Lupin founder Desh Bandhu Gupta, was launched in Mumbai on Sunday, bringing together leading figures from the industry to reflect on how India became the world’s pharmacy.

Made in India, written by journalist Sundeep Khanna and TeamLease Services co-founder Manish Sabharwal, traces three intertwined journeys: the evolution of India’s pharmaceutical industry, the growth of Lupin into a global generics major, and Gupta’s transformation from a small-town academic into one of India’s most influential entrepreneurs.

The book recounts how Gupta, raised without privilege in rural Rajasthan, moved from teaching and pharmaceutical jobs to founding a company now valued at around $10 billion, with medicines reaching patients in more than 120 countries. It details how Lupin navigated regulatory hurdles, financial crises and global quality standards to emerge as a multinational player.

Written with candour, the authors confront setbacks and personal costs alongside success, portraying institution-building as a slow and often painful process rather than a heroic sprint. The narrative also highlights the pivotal role played by Gupta’s wife, Manju Gupta, in building Lupin and its parallel commitment to community welfare and rural development.

The launch featured a panel discussion on the past and future of Indian pharma, with industry leaders including Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma, Yusuf Hamied of Cipla, G.V. Prasad of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Vinita Gupta of Lupin and academic M. M. Sharma.

Speakers underlined how Indian companies dismantled the notion that multinational drugmakers held an unassailable advantage, helping the country emerge as a dominant supplier of affordable medicines. India today produces nearly half of the 400 billion pills consumed annually in the US and accounts for about 60 per cent of global vaccine supply, with a third of US FDA-approved drug manufacturing plants located in the country.

Praise for the book highlighted Gupta’s role as one of the architects of India’s pharmaceutical rise, alongside figures such as Anji Reddy, Parvinder Singh, Ramanbhai Patel and Habil Khorakiwala. Together, the founders are credited with marrying entrepreneurial ambition to public health priorities, reshaping India’s manufacturing reputation and extending its global influence.