What Hester Biosciences does

Hester Biosciences Limited is one of India's largest animal healthcare companies and the country's second largest poultry vaccine manufacturer, founded in 1987 by Rajiv Gandhi. The company manufactures vaccines, medicines, and healthcare products across three core segments — Poultry Healthcare, Animal Healthcare, and Pet Care — plus a Diagnostic Labs service line. It operates as Asia's largest one-stop animal biological manufacturing facility, with three owned plants in India (6.25 billion doses), Nepal (1.24 billion doses), and Tanzania (1.50 billion doses), and reaches 35+ countries through 900+ distributors. The product portfolio includes inactivated avian influenza (H9N2), small ruminant combination vaccines developed under the GALVmed VITAL project, and Covaxin drug substance contract-manufactured for Bharat Biotech under a Rs 60 crore BIRAC grant.

The company earns revenue primarily through one-time B2B sales of biological products to its distributor network across India, Nepal, Tanzania, and 35+ additional emerging markets, supplemented by professional services contract manufacturing for Bharat Biotech. Pricing is quote-based for distributors and institutional buyers rather than publicly disclosed. In FY26, revenue grew 7% to INR 3,325.99 million while consolidated profit after tax jumped 99% to INR 574.84 million, with the Poultry Healthcare division up 24%. Recent strategic actions include FDCA approval and launch of the H9N2 vaccine, capitalization of fill-finish and BSL-3 facilities to double drug product capacity, entry into Egypt via a Novapharma distribution partnership, and the partial divestment of Texas Lifesciences. The company is publicly listed on Indian exchanges (NSE: HESTERBIO) with no identified controlling parent entity.

Name

Hester Biosciences

Legal name

Hester Biosciences Limited

Website

https://hesterbiosciences.co.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hester Biosciences Limited is an Indian public animal biologicals manufacturer — Asia's largest one-stop facility — producing vaccines and healthcare products for poultry, livestock, and pets across 35+ countries via 900+ distributors and three plants in India, Nepal, and Tanzania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Vaccines

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Vaccines (Biologics) (HLAMAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vaccine Manufacturing & Contract Services (Veterinary Vaccine CDMO) (HLAMAKAI), Livestock Vaccines (Cattle, Swine, Sheep & Goats) (HLAMAKAB), Companion Animal Vaccines (Dogs & Cats) (HLAMAKAA)

Keywords

• Animal vaccines
• Poultry healthcare
• Veterinary biologicals
• Livestock vaccines
• Pet care vaccines

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Poultry Healthcare Products: Vaccines and healthcare products for poultry birds, including the H9N2 Avian Influenza vaccine, representing a primary revenue driver with 24% revenue increase in FY26
2. Animal Healthcare Products: Healthcare products for livestock animals including vaccines for small ruminants
3. Pet Care Products: Healthcare products for pets including vaccines and medicines
4. Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing Covaxin drug substance for Bharat Biotech under BIRAC grant of Rs 60 crore

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hester Biosciences manufactures and markets animal vaccines and healthcare products for poultry, livestock, and companion animals, with manufacturing facilities in India, Nepal, and Tanzania producing over 9 billion doses annually. The company also performs contract manufacturing of biological drug substances (e.g., Covaxin for Bharat Biotech) and operates diagnostic laboratory services for the animal healthcare sector.

Product overview

Hester Biosciences is one of India's leading animal healthcare companies and the second largest poultry vaccine manufacturer in the country. The company operates as Asia's largest one-stop animal biological manufacturing facility, offering an integrated portfolio across Poultry Healthcare, Animal Healthcare, Pet Care, and Diagnostic Labs. The product portfolio includes vaccines (Poultry, Animal, Pet Care, and specific vaccines like H9N2 Avian Influenza and Small Ruminant Combination Vaccine) and health products. The company has manufacturing plants in India (6.25 billion doses), Nepal (1.24 billion doses), and Tanzania (1.50 billion doses), with strategic presence across 35+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hester Biosciences Africa Limited: Subsidiary focused on bridging the gap between demand and supply for animal vaccines and healthcare products in Africa

Products and services

• Poultry Healthcare Comprehensive vaccine and healthcare product portfolio for poultry birds, including vaccines for various poultry diseases such as avian influenza. Targets commercial poultry farmers, poultry integrators, and layer/broiler operations.
• Animal Healthcare Vaccines and healthcare products for livestock animals including sheep, goats, and other domesticated animals, addressing disease prevention in developing markets.
• Pet Care Healthcare products and vaccines designed for companion animals including dogs and cats, supporting preventive healthcare for the rising pet ownership segment.
• Diagnostic Labs Laboratory diagnostic services offering end-to-end solutions for customers in animal healthcare, supporting disease detection and flock/herd health management.
• H9N2 Avian Influenza Vaccine Inactivated avian influenza vaccine targeting the H9N2 strain for poultry, addressing year-round comorbidity, egg production drops in layers, and performance loss in broilers.
• Small Ruminant Combination Vaccine Three-in-one vaccine protecting sheep and goats against Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia, Sheep and Goat Pox, and Peste des Petits Ruminants, developed under GALVmed's VITAL project.
• Covaxin Drug Substance COVID-19 vaccine (Covaxin) drug substance manufactured for Bharat Biotech under BIRAC grant, with fill-finish operations handled by Bharat Biotech.
• Health Products Pharmaceutical and health products complementing the vaccine portfolio for animal healthcare applications across poultry, livestock, and pet care segments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24% revenue increase in Poultry Healthcare division in FY26
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Ticop LifeminorOthers · 11 March 2026Acquisition of 43.81% stake in Texas Lifesciences divested to Ticop Life for Rs 9.2 crore. Hester maintains 11% stake and continues business relations.
• GALVmed (Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership as part of VITAL project for developing combination vaccines for small ruminants. Four other combination vaccines developed by Hester are undergoing regulatory review as part of the initiative.
• Golchha OrganisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing organizational partner in business operations.
• NovapharmaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLatest partnership for foray into Egyptian market for distribution of animal healthcare products.
• ICAR-NIHSAD via Agrinnovate IndiacoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology acquired from ICAR-NIHSAD via Agrinnovate India for H9N2 Avian Influenza vaccine manufacturing, marking key regulatory milestone.
• Bharat BiotechmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHester supplies Covaxin drug substance to Bharat Biotech, which handles fill-finish at its facilities. Monthly production of 5-7 million doses.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Venkys (VH Group): Indian integrated poultry company with animal health products, overlapping with Hester's poultry vaccine segment in India. Less specialized than Hester in pure biologics but addresses the same customer base.

Direct peers

• Indian Immunologicals Limited: Indian animal vaccine manufacturer owned by the National Dairy Development Board, producing vaccines for livestock, poultry, and companion animals. Direct competitor in the Indian veterinary vaccine market with overlapping product portfolios and B2B distribution models.
• Indovax: Specialist Indian poultry vaccine manufacturer that directly competes with Hester in the poultry vaccine category across India and select export markets. Closely comparable in product mix, scale, and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Phibro Animal Health: US-listed animal health and nutrition company with vaccines, parasiticides, and nutritional specialties for livestock and poultry. Comparable in product categories and emerging-market distribution focus, though broader portfolio.
• Elanco Animal Health: Global animal health company with a portfolio spanning vaccines, parasiticides, and therapeutics for livestock and pets. Comparable across product categories and B2B distribution model, though focused on developed markets.
• Zoetis: Global leader in animal health and vaccines, offering a comprehensive portfolio across livestock, poultry, and companion animals. Comparable business model and product categories, but with far broader geographic reach and higher-margin developed-market exposure.
• MSD Animal Health (Merck Animal Health): Division of Merck offering vaccines and pharmaceuticals across all major animal segments globally. Comparable in biologicals manufacturing capability and vaccine pipeline, though at significantly greater scale and global footprint.
• Ceva Santé Animale: French multinational animal health company specializing in vaccines and pharmaceutical products for livestock, poultry, and companion animals. Comparable in vaccine manufacturing and emerging-market distribution, especially in Africa and Asia.
• Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health: Major global animal health player with a strong biologicals and vaccines franchise across livestock and pets. Directly comparable product categories including poultry and livestock vaccines.

Emerging players

• Biovac: South African animal vaccine manufacturer focused on livestock and poultry vaccines for the African market. Comparable developing-market positioning to Hester's Tanzania operations and similar product mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hesterindia
• Facebookfacebook.com/hester-biosciences-limited-534850509976937

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hester Biosciences