Meet richest man in Hyderabad, failed Class 12th, became doctor, now runs business worth Rs 1530000000000, his name is…, net worth is Rs…

In 1994, Dr Murali Krishna Prasad Divi used is savings to establish Divi’s Laboratories, which has today grown into one of the top three active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in the world.

Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, Divi’s Laboratories came to the limelight during the Covid-19 pandemic when the demand for Molnupiravir, an anti-viral drug, peaked during the period, with the wealth of its founder and Managing Director, Dr. Murali Krishna Prasad Divi surging by several billion US dollars owing to the firm’s rapid success, and becoming the richest man in Hyderabad.

Lets delve in to Dr Divi’s journey from lows of failing in Class 12th exam, heading to the United States with just $7 in his pocket, to building a leading pharmaceutical firm which today has a market capitalization pegged at a whopping Rs 1.53 trillion (Rs 1,53,00,000,000,000 crore).

Who is Dr Murali Krishna Prasad Divi?

Born in a small village in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, Murali Krishna Prasad Divi was the youngest of thirteen siblings in a financially-challenged family. Due to the family’s economic difficulties, Murali faced a tough childhood and his education was also affected, but he remained determined and was one of the very few in his village at the time, to pursue higher studies.

After completing his schooling, Murali faced several setbacks in his academic journey, including failing to pass his Class 12th board exams and struggling in the first year of his Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) course at College of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

However, Divi persevered and overcame these challenges, and ultimately joined Warner Hindustan as a trainee in 1975. Later, with only $7 in his pocket, Murali Divi travelled to the United States in search of opportunities in pharmaceutical industry, but had to return to Hyderabad after a short while due to a family emergency.

After getting back from the US, Dr Divi entered into partnership with Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy and acquired Cheminor Drugs in 1984.

The birth and rise of Divi’s Laboratories

In 1990, Dr Divi established Divi’s Research Centre Pvt Ltd, which provided technology and consulting services to other pharmaceutical companies. Four years later, Divi’s Research Centre would become Divi’s Laboratories as Dr Murali invested a large fraction of his savings to set up a state-of-the-art API plant in Nalgonda.

Today, Divi’s Laboratories is recognized as one of the top three active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in the world, providing essential ingredients used in major drugs for treatments of various ailments such as arthritis, depression, and epilepsy.

However, despite its early success, Divi’s Laboratories faced a major challenge in 2017 when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposed restrictions on Visakhapatnam factory. The restrictions were lifted after 6 months, providing relief to Divi’s Labs and its founder Dr Murali.

After its overwhelming success in the pharmaceuticals, Divi’s Lab’s is now exploring opportunities in green chemistry, and has invested substantially in development of peptides like GLP-1 (glutides), used to treat conditions like obesity.