Dr. Muhammed Majeed

Founder & Chairman

Sami-Sabinsa Group is a research-oriented multinational health science company and a leading producer of nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, standardized herbal extracts, fine chemicals, sociality chemicals, and probiotics. Sami-Sabinsa was established in 1991 by Dr. Muhammed Majeed, an internationally acclaimed scientist and entrepreneur in the realm of Evidence Based Medicines.

Dr. Muhammed has been named the ‘Legend of the Millennium in Nutraceutical Industry’ by ASSOCHAM in February 2022,in recognition of his exemplary services in the nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals industry. Earlier to it, he has been named ‘Father of Indian Nutraceuticals Industry’ by ASSOCHAM. Dr. Muhammed has been instrumental in the company's development and expansion into international markets. His strong leadership has been critical to Sami-Sabinsa's success and has played a crucial role in several significant milestones in the company's history, including the commercialization of herbal extracts and the holding of patents for a variety of products.

His passion for Ayurveda, herbal extracts, and clinical research has been the driving force behind SamiSabinsa’s strong presence in the health science sector.
 
In an exclusive interview with India Pharma Outlook Magazine, Dr. Muhammed, Founder & Chairman at Sami-Sabinsa Group walks us through the unique positioning of Sami-Sabinsa Group and its distinctive facets.

What are the major expectations of clients from pharma laboratories? How do you meet their expectations?
Today, consumers are well-informed and extremely aware of their needs, hence product claims need to be supported by robust evidence. Every ingredient produced by Sami-Sabinsa Group is underpinned by application-oriented scientific research. Sami-Sabinsa Group manufactures standardized extracts with consistent quality throughout their shelf life and subsequent batches. The products manufactured by the group are used as an ingredient in various dietary supplements. The Majority of our products have been clinically evaluated and are evidence-based.

Clinical testing plays a key role in substantiating our product claims whilst also ensuring that our products are safe and effective for consumer use. Personalized nutrition is an approach that is in high demand with consumers. For instance,in the nutrition selling arena, Curcumin C3 Reduct, a standardized extract with antioxidants and active metabolite characteristics, assists customers in maintaining a healthy lifestyle with integrated physical activity.
 
Similarly, Promond, a natural protein source with great nutritional value, aids in weight management, muscle growth, and maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels. LactoSpore, a commercial probiotic product, promotes intestinal health. DigeZyme, Promond,and Forslean are some of the other active nutrition products we provide.

According to you, what are the key strengths of your company?
Sami-Sabinsa stands on solid research and it forms the bedrock of our mission to deliver world-class products. Our 120+ proficient scientific team comprising research-minded professionals have both the skills and the capability to deliver excellent science.

The scientists are involved in specialized work in the areas of Phytochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Tissue culture, and Plant Biotechnology. We place emphasis on basic research and the number of patented products that we hold today is a testament to our team's commitment to developing healthy and better products for the market.

Currently, our global patent portfolio includes 372 granted and 303 pending applications. We ensure the efficacy of our products through clinical trials before releasing them on the market. This helps us to manage and grow trust with the customers by demonstrating competence in our ability to deliver safe and efficacious ingredients.
Our range of innovative products for nutraceutical, cosmeceutical & nutricosmetic applications is also a major strength. Moreover, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable development, we have pioneered the contract farming model deploying close to 40,000 acres of land in India with around 5000 farmers as suppliers.

Our concern towards conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants is evident through plantation of over 50,000 trees of vulnerable Pterocarpus marsupium (Bijasar), in Madhya Pradesh and recent collaboration for large scale cultivation of endemic Garcinia indica (Kokum) trees in Maharashtra and endangered Picrorrhiza kurroa (Kutki) in J & K. This ensures us the required quantity of material through sustainable cultivation techniques.

What are the main characteristics that set your organization apart from competitors who offer similar services?
 Our in-house research capability gives us a competitive edge in the market. Our R&D center is responsible for constant improvements in productivity, cost reduction, quality improvement, and new product development for the company. Sami-Sabinsa has independent research divisions including Natural drugs, Phytochemistry, Synthetic Chemistry, Tissue Culture, Biotechnology, Analytical R&D, Biological Research, Microbiology, and Formulations R&D.
 
Further, our product lines have been established in many market segments including the US, Brazil, Australia, Europe, Canada, and Asia. Our diversified product line helps us well to capitalize on opportunities in these growing markets. Our product lines range from nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, standardized herbal extracts, fine chemicals, specialty chemicals, and probiotics.

Another important factor that has helped us become a prominent player is our unwavering commitment to 'Quality'. We are dedicated to upholding the highest quality standards, which has gained us the trust of our global customers. The products we manufacture are as per global standards at its seven state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Utah US).

Tell us about the overall journey of the company. How has it nurtured itself over the years?
Sami-Sabinsa served only the US market 34 years before when it was founded, but now our super aggressive sales culture has helped us grow into a global organization with a presence in the US (New Jersey & Utah), Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, , Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Vietnam.

Over the years, we have received over 100 national and international accolades for our pioneering work in the field of evidence-based medicine. Currently, we handle 1800 Tonnes of exports annually and have 120+ products for export & domestic markets in our portfolio.
 
We have set up a Supercritical Fluid (CO2 ) Extraction facility at Nelamangala in Bengaluru. This facility is the first of its kind wherein the industry and academia have collaborated to develop it commercially. IIT Bombay developed this technology under the Government of India’s ‘Technology Mission’. This state-of-the-art laboratory employs a novel extraction technology that uses carbon dioxide as the solvent. As an environmentally friendly technology, it gives a clean extract with almost intact bio-potency to both the manufacturer and the end user.

What are your company’s vision and mission in the coming future?
 As a committed stakeholder in the field of evidence-based medicine, our vision is to be a world-class leader in the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industry. Our strong sense of ethics drives us in creating long-term value for all our stakeholders. Our new Active Nutraceutical Ingredient (ANI) manufacturing facility is coming up at Hassan in Karnataka.
Our long-term strategic goal of increasing its existing ingredient pipeline and focusing on newer creative products will be accelerated by this manufacturing plant, which will have a production capacity of 900 tonnes per year. This investment will enable us to strengthen our presence as India’s premier and largest global nutraceutical company.