§1What this business is
Tablets are the most common form of medicine. The unit weighs out drug and excipient powders, blends and granulates them, dries the granules, presses tablets on a compression machine, coats them if needed and packs them in PVC-aluminium blister or strip packs. Each batch is tested by quality control. Buyers are pharma marketing companies (contract or third-party manufacturing), distributors and hospitals.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A pharmacy graduate or someone with pharma production experience and contacts with marketing companies.
Who it is not for
Someone without pharma knowledge — regulators expect technical staff and full records.
Advantages
- Tablets are the most used form of medicine
- Third-party manufacturing for marketing companies gives steady orders
- Machine line is well known and locally made
- Healthy DSCR (3.00) in the report
Drawbacks
- Strict drug licence and GMP (Schedule M) rules
- Needs a qualified pharmacist or chemist on staff
- Quality failures can mean recalls and licence action
- Large established units compete on price
Skills you need
- Tablet formulation and process control
- Quality control testing
- GMP documentation (BMR, MFR)
- Dealing with drug regulators and buyers
Why difficulty 4/5: Machines are standard, but drug licensing, GMP and quality control are demanding.
§3Market
Who buys
- Pharma marketing companies (third-party manufacturing)
- Distributors and stockists
- Hospitals and government supply tenders
How it sells
- Loan-licence and contract manufacturing
- Own brand through distributors
Good to know
- The report says about two-thirds of prescriptions are solid dosage forms, half of them compressed tablets.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Vibro sifter | 1 | ₹75,000 |
| Rapid mixer granulator | 1 | ₹3,38,000 |
| Tablet compression machine | 1 | ₹3,50,000 |
| cGMP fluid bed dryer | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Cone blender | 1 | ₹1,35,000 |
| Coating pan | 1 | ₹1,27,000 |
| Packaging machine | 1 | ₹2,29,500 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Medicinal tablets (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Active ingredients (APIs) and excipientschecked and released by quality control before use
- PVC and aluminium foilfor blister and strip packing
- Cartonssecondary packing
From: PMEGP sample project report — Medicinal tablets (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Indo German Tool Room, Indore · Indore →CHOKSI LABORATORIES LIMITED · Verna →PARISHIL LABORATORIES PRIVATE LIMITED · Ahmedabad →AURIGA RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED · Solan →AGRO TECH AROMATICS PVT. LTD. · Bari Brahmana →BANGALORE ANALYTICAL RESEARCH CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED · Bengaluru →WATERLAB ANALYTICAL LABORATORY AND RESEARCH CENTRE LLP · Ramanattukara →UTKAL PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, LABORATORY DIVISION · Bhubaneswar →SYNTHIYA RESEARCH LABS PRIVATE LIMITED · Villianur →SOPHISTICATED ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS LABORATORIES SOCIETY · Patiala →CSIR-INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY · Hyderabad →UNIGLOBE ANALYTICA PRIVATE LIMITED · Noida →
§5Licences & registration
- Drug manufacturing licence from the State Drug Controller (FDA)
- GMP compliance (Schedule M)
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Fire NOC
- Pollution control board NOC
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP (the report is a PMEGP sample), CGTMSE for loans without collateral, and Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report: plant & machinery ₹15.05 lakh, furniture ₹0.75 lakh, other assets ₹1.00 lakh, working capital ₹5.67 lakh = ₹22.47 lakh (machinery price includes GST and transport). Premises rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹5.67 lakh, of which working capital loan ₹5.10 lakh.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Pharmexcil
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
- Export of medicines needs product registration in most buying countries.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Licence suspension after a failed sample
- API and excipient price swings
- Delayed payments from marketing companies
- Cost of meeting revised GMP norms
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working medicinal tablets manufacturing unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Drug manufacturing licence from the State Drug Controller (FDA), GMP compliance (Schedule M)), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Medicinal Tablets Manufacturing Unit?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.