Materia Medica Malaysiana

Himalaya Herbal Healthcare picks M’sia as regional hub

BANGALORE-BASED Himalaya Herbal Healthcare will make Malaysia its regional hub as it continues expanding worldwide in the fast growing herbal healthcare industry.

Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, the biggest herbal healthcare company in India, will finally set foot in Malaysia after extending its presence to over 50 countries in the world.

“Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia we are entering and we plan to make it our regional hub.

“This is because it has a very good consumer base with discerning consumers who are exposed to the best healthcare products in the world,” chief executive officer and president Ravi Prasad said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Prasad, who is here for the local launch of Himalaya Herbal Healthcare products, said many people still had doubts and myths about herbal products.

“Herbal products are safe and do not have any side effects on consumers. We have combined our herbal products with contemporary science and we spend a huge amount of money on research and development.

“In fact, it usually takes us 8 to 10 years of research and testing before a product is launched.

“We do not believe in using chemicals and all our products are chemical-free,” he added.

Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, one of the top 10 companies in the pharmaceutical industry in India in terms of unit sales, is expecting a 25% growth in revenue from its current US$80mil.

“We expect revenue to exceed US$100mil this year. There is huge potential in the herbal healthcare industry. The global herbal healthcare industry is worth US$63bil and growing at 20% -25% a year,” said Prasad.