Pankaj Patel: Building India's Pharmaceutical Backbone, One Discovery at a Time

"What we do tomorrow is more important than what we did yesterday."

As India moves towards becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047, healthcare and pharmaceutical self-reliance have emerged as one of the most critical foundations of national development. Every affordable medicine manufactured at scale, every vaccine developed indigenously, every generic drug that reaches a patient who could not otherwise afford treatment, contributes to building a healthier, more resilient nation.

Behind many of these transformative developments are entrepreneurs who chose to build institutions that serve not just markets, but public health itself.

Among them is Pankaj Patel, Chairman of Zydus Lifesciences.

From growing up watching tablet-making machines in his father's small factory to leading one of India's largest pharmaceutical companies, Pankaj Patel's entrepreneurial journey reflects the power of scientific rigor, long-term vision, and an unwavering belief that medicine must be both innovative and accessible.

Today, Zydus Lifesciences is the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India, with a presence in over 70 countries, a diversified portfolio spanning generics, specialty drugs, vaccines, biosimilars, and wellness products, and a workforce of nearly 27,000 people.

This is the story of a pharmacist who believed that healthcare could become one of India's greatest instruments of nation-building.

Humble Beginnings

Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel was born on 16 March 1953 in Bhadran, Gujarat, into a family already rooted in the pharmaceutical business.

His father, Ramanbhai B. Patel, had co-founded Cadila Laboratories in 1952 to manufacture vitamins, at a time when India depended heavily on imported medicines.

Since he was eight years old, Pankaj would accompany his father to the factory, watching employees operate tablet-making machines. That early exposure to the discipline of manufacturing and the purpose of medicine left a lasting impression.

He went on to complete his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology from L.M. College of Pharmacy, Gujarat University, and later added a Bachelor of Arts in Science and Law from the University of Mumbai — a combination of scientific depth and business understanding that would shape his leadership style.

In 1976, he formally joined Cadila Laboratories, choosing not merely to inherit a business, but to understand it from the ground up.

A Difficult Inheritance, A Defining Decision

In 1995, following a formal separation between the two founding families, the Cadila group split into Cadila Healthcare (later Zydus Lifesciences) and Cadila Pharmaceuticals. Pankaj Patel took charge of what would become Zydus.

It was not an easy beginning. The company he inherited had revenues of around Rs 200 crore, while its overheads — management, research, staff, and operating expenses — worked out to nearly Rs 400 crore. Making ends meet was a genuine struggle.

Rather than retreat into caution, Patel chose to invest aggressively in research and development, betting that innovation, not just manufacturing scale, would define the company's future.

The name itself carried ambition: Zydus draws from the Greek god Zeus, with a "D" added to signify the union of science and health.

Betting Big on Research and Innovation

One characteristic that distinguishes visionary entrepreneurs is their willingness to invest in outcomes years before the market rewards them.

Under Patel's leadership, Zydus became the first Indian company to develop a New Chemical Entity — Lipaglyn, a novel drug approved in 2013 to treat diabetic dyslipidemia, the world's first therapy of its kind for patients battling both high cholesterol and diabetes.

The company also launched Exemptia, the world's first biosimilar for Adalimumab, and Roserin, a cardiovascular drug that significantly reduced the cost of treating patients.

Zydus expanded from a domestic manufacturer into a global pharmaceutical enterprise, forming research alliances such as its partnership with German biotech firm Pieris Pharmaceuticals to develop a new class of protein therapeutics, and becoming the first company to file for a generic version of Shire PLC's ulcer drug Lialda in the United States, earning six months of market exclusivity from regulators.

Turnover that stood at roughly Rs 200–250 crore in 1995 grew to Rs 1,000 crore by 2000, and the group has since grown into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise with manufacturing and research facilities across five Indian states and markets spanning the US, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and beyond.

Answering the Call During COVID-19

Few moments tested Indian pharmaceutical capability as severely as the COVID-19 pandemic — and few companies responded as comprehensively as Zydus.

Patel ramped up production to make Zydus one of the largest suppliers of hydroxychloroquine during the crisis, brought out an accessible variant of the antiviral Remdesivir, and led the company's most ambitious scientific undertaking yet: ZyCoV-D, one of the world's first plasmid DNA vaccines against COVID-19, developed entirely in-house.

The vaccine represented not just a public health response, but a statement about what Indian science, backed by patient investment and institutional will, is capable of achieving.

Building an Institution, Not Just a Company

Physical manufacturing capacity alone does not build a pharmaceutical powerhouse. Talent, research infrastructure, and a culture of scientific rigor matter equally.

Patel has authored or co-authored over 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-inventor on more than 64 patents. Under his stewardship, Zydus has invested consistently in R&D across cardiovascular, gastroenterology, respiratory, oncology, and vaccine research, building one of the most credible research pipelines among Indian pharmaceutical companies.

He has also extended his institution-building instincts well beyond Zydus — chairing the Board of Governors of IIM Ahmedabad, chairing IIM Udaipur, and serving on the governing boards of IISER Kolkata, IIT Bhubaneswar, and other academic institutions, reflecting a conviction that India's healthcare future depends as much on educated minds as on manufacturing lines.

He has served as a Part-Time Non-Official Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, as President of FICCI (2016–17), and continues to contribute to national policy bodies including Invest India, the Mission Steering Group under the National Health Mission, and the Drug Technical Advisory Board.

Healthcare Beyond the Balance Sheet

The true measure of a healthcare enterprise lies not only in its financial performance, but in the lives it touches.

Patel is the Executive Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer Society and Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, one of India's largest regional cancer centres, serving underprivileged patients across the state. He chairs the Zydus Foundation, which established the Zydus Hospital and Medical College at Dahod, extending quality healthcare and medical education to one of Gujarat's more underserved districts. He also serves as Chairman of the Deaf and Mute School, Ahmedabad, and is Chairman of Zydus Hospitals, a large hospital chain in Gujarat.

He has spoken about philanthropy in terms broader than money alone — believing it equally involves time, ideas, and volunteering — and is known for preferring that many of his contributions remain undisclosed.

A Family Rooted in Science and Continuity

Pankaj Patel is married to Priti Patel, daughter of Dr. B.D. Patel. Together, they have built not just a business, but a family deeply invested in continuing its scientific and entrepreneurial legacy.

Their son, Dr. Sharvil Patel, holds a specialisation in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Sunderland, UK, and a doctorate in Breast Cancer research from Johns Hopkins Medical Centre. He joined Zydus and has served as its Managing Director since 2017, having earlier served as Joint Managing Director. Under his leadership, Zydus has deepened its focus on biologics, new chemical entities, and vaccine research, while expanding the company's global footprint across the US, Europe, and emerging markets. He also chairs the board of Zydus Wellness, home to well-known consumer brands such as Sugar Free, Everyuth, Complan, Glucon-D, and Nycil. He has been recognised as Best CEO in the lifesciences sector by Fortune India and as a Most Valuable CEO by Business World.

Their daughter, Shivani, is married to Pranav D. Patel, son of Dushyant D. Patel, extending the family's ties within Gujarat's business community.

Three generations — from Ramanbhai Patel's modest vitamin-manufacturing venture in 1952, to Pankaj Patel's transformation of Zydus into a global pharmaceutical enterprise, to Sharvil Patel's stewardship of its next phase of innovation — reflect a rare continuity of purpose within Indian industry.

Recognition for a Life of Contribution

In January 2025, Pankaj Patel was conferred the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in recognition of his contribution to Trade and Industry. Accepting the honour, he reflected on a journey that began over seven decades ago when his father set out to make India self-reliant in life sciences — a commitment to science, health, and innovation that has guided the family ever since.

He has also received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Acharya P.C. Ray Memorial Gold Medal, the Eminent Pharmacist Award, and was named among the World Pharmaceutical Frontiers' Pharma 40, a list of the world's most influential people in healthcare.

Lessons for Future Entrepreneurs

Pankaj Patel's journey offers valuable lessons for India's next generation of entrepreneurs and healthcare leaders.

Invest in research even when returns are years away.

Build for accessibility, not just profitability.

Treat a crisis as a call to scientific responsibility.

Combine scientific depth with sound business acumen.

Extend institution-building beyond the balance sheet, into education and public health.

Measure success not only by market capitalisation, but by the patients who could afford treatment because of it.

Contribution to Viksit Bharat 2047

The vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 depends on India strengthening its healthcare infrastructure, achieving self-reliance in life sciences, and building world-class research capabilities that reduce dependence on imported medicines and technologies.

Businesses operating in pharmaceuticals and healthcare play an essential role alongside governments, research institutions, and academic bodies in building this future.

Zydus Lifesciences' investments in indigenous drug discovery, vaccine development, generics manufacturing, and healthcare infrastructure — together with the Patel family's continued support for medical and management education — intersect meaningfully with these national priorities.

The Human Behind Viksit Bharat

Every developed nation is built by individuals who choose to solve problems that outlast a single balance sheet.

Pankaj Patel's journey — from a boy watching tablet machines in his father's factory to the chairman of one of India's largest pharmaceutical enterprises — reflects the role that patient investment in science and research can play in shaping a nation's healthcare capability.

From Lipaglyn to Exemptia, from hydroxychloroquine supply during a pandemic to ZyCoV-D, his work illustrates how pharmaceutical innovation can become an instrument of both economic growth and public good.

His story also reminds us that institution building in healthcare carries a particular responsibility — because what is manufactured is not just a product, but a patient's chance at a better life.

As India moves confidently towards Viksit Bharat 2047, entrepreneurs who invest in science, build accessible healthcare, strengthen research institutions, and pass on their legacy of purpose to the next generation will continue to play a vital role in the nation's progress.

Humans of Viksit Bharat celebrates individuals whose ideas, enterprises, and institutions have helped shape modern India while encouraging future generations to build with purpose, responsibility, and a vision that extends beyond business to the larger development of the nation.