Mumbai: Indian drugmaker Lupin and a take cling of of non-public fairness investors including EQT Partners and TPG Capital are in separate early-stage discussions to assemble UK’s supreme nutraceutical company, Vitabiotics, of us privy to the vogue acknowledged. The doable deal is anticipated to payment the Lalvani family-owned business at round £1 billion (Rs 11,800 crore).
Lupin is in discussions with a pair of PE companies to produce a consortium to expose for the asset, the of us acknowledged. Rather a lot of Indian avid gamers — including Mankind Pharma and Zydus Wellness — had furthermore evaluated the opportunity but stepped support amid steep valuation expectations, they acknowledged.
Houlihan Lokey is advising the promoters on the sale process. The British company’s Indian arm, Meyer Vitabiotics, contributes roughly 20% to its £253 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) annual gross sales, according to the of us. Its Calcimax ticket holds a dominant space across paediatrics, diabetes, cardiac care, and girls people’s health segments, especially being pregnant and menopause. Meyer’s prescription drug gross sales posted Rs 412 crore for the 365 days by October 2025, rising at 13% on a inviting annual complete (MAT) basis, explain files from business tracker PharmaTrac.
Vitabiotics’ top-promoting manufacturers contain Wellwoman, Wellbaby, Pregnacare, Menopace, Feroglobin, Immunace, Visionace, Perfectil and Osteocare.
The company is reviving plans to sell the business and dealing with advisers to gauge ardour from doable shoppers, Bloomberg reported in February.
Unilever and Nestle were furthermore reported as suitors for the business.
Emails sent to Vitabiotics, TPG and Lupin did not elicit any responses till the press time Sunday. An EQT spokesperson declined to commentary.
Based in 1971 by British-Indian businessman Kartar Lalvani, Vitabiotics is currently led by his son, Tej Lalvani, who had appeared as an investor on BBC’s Dragon’s Den, the Shark Tanklike programme where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to rich investors.
The company expanded its Southeast Asian footprint in 2008 by acquiring Sandoz Asia’s manufacturing services and products in Indonesia, enabling in-house production of worldwide products whereas continuing toll manufacturing for Sandoz and Apex.
Zydus Wellness dropped plans to pursue Vitabiotics after it obtained UK-based mostly Consolation Click in the dietary vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements section. Mankind Pharma, after showing early ardour, did not proceed additional, the of us acknowledged.
A Mankind Pharma spokesperson acknowledged the corporate isn’t bidding for Vitabiotics.
FAST-GROWING SEGMENT
Nutraceuticals stay a fastgrowing section in India, with doctors increasingly extra co-prescribing dietary vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements alongside with same outdated therapies.
India’s dietary vitamins, minerals and nutraceuticals market is valued at Rs 20,864 crore yearly and is expanding at 9% on a MAT basis, according to PharmaTrac. Nutritional vitamins accounted for Rs 9,304 crore in annual gross sales as of October this 365 days.
Leading Indian drug makers are rising their focal point on the nutraceuticals and healthcare dietary supplements business attributable to their pricing flexibility. Besides, nutraceuticals marketed by the ethical route (by physician’s prescription) can furthermore be sold as over-the-counter products.
Swedish investment predominant EQT, which manages $309 billion in sources, has a lengthy history of magnificent UK transactions. In 2023, it obtained veterinary pharmaceuticals company Dechra for £4.5 billion in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Funding Authority.
ACQUISITION SPREE
Indian pharmaceutical companies had been on an aggressive acquisition spree over the previous couple of years, seeking worldwide footprints and entry into unique therapeutic areas.
In April, Lupin Healthcare (UK) Ltd, obtained Renascience Pharma, a UK-based mostly pharmaceutical company, for £12 million. Lupin furthermore obtained Amsterdam-based mostly VISUfarma BV at an enterprise payment of £190 million in September.
In 2025 Zydus announced two predominant depraved-border deals: Zydus Wellness’ £239 million takeover of Consolation Click to enter the worldwide VMS market and Zydus Lifesciences’ acquisition of two US manufacturing services and products from Agenus for as much as $125 million to enlarge into contract vogue and manufacturing in the biologics house.
The healthcare and pharmaceutical sector recorded a absorbing upward thrust in investment process in the quarter ended September, notching up 72 transactions worth nearly $3.5 billion, a 166% soar over the earlier quarter, according to Grant Thornton. Outbound process rose 5.3x sequentially to the very most life like quarterly ranges ever, led by pharma & biotech, hospitals and scientific units, as Indian companies pursued in one other country acquisitions for scale, capabilities and diversification.
