Stadmed Pharma: Diversifying presence

Asheesh Roy

The rise of the pharmaceutical industry in India took place in Bengal. The dedication and untiring efforts of Prafulla Chandra Roy made it possible to set up the first of its kind pharma company in Kolkata way back in 1901. Later, several pharma companies were set up in Kolkata by entrepreneurs then.

It was in 1940 when the late Gour Gopal Saha, a visionary, started his entrepreneurship with the foundation of Standard Medical Research Institute in Kolkata. Soon, the brands manufactured by the company like Alkasol, Pulmocod and Aminozyme became very popular among the masses. Later, the company was rechristened Stadmed, which went on to spread a strong marketing network across the length and breadth of the country.

The flagship brand of the company, ‘Alkasol’, remains the first choice for a large section of medical practitioners. Metabolic acidosis, urinary tract infection, lung diseases, general weakness, nutrition were the primary segments of focus in the company.

Since then, the company has never looked back. Now, with diversification of brands in different segments, and by forming a separate SBU, the company is not only strengthening its ethical general trade market, but also giving much emphasis on institutional sales and sale to corporate hospitals. Today, the company has been able to manufacture quality medicines to meet the increasing demand by its ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing units based in Kolkata and Lucknow.

Asheesh Roy, Director, Stadmed, informs, “We are now focusing on both the acute and chronic care segment. With more than 100 brands in our portfolio, the company is now aggressively marketing to strengthen its presence in the anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic ranges. Our recently launched brand ‘Ursolic’ (Ursodeoxycholic Acid) is getting encouraging response from the medical practitioners. Urology, paediatrics and gynaecology remain to be the key strength segments of the company. With a consistent growth rate over the years, the company has crossed the Rs 50-crore mark of turnover.”