Pharma Third Party Manufacturing
Send us your composition list and the quantity you need. We match it against WHO-GMP certified manufacturers who already run that dosage form — and you get rate, MOQ and dispatch timeline in writing, usually within 24 hours.
- Form 25 / Form 28 licence and WHO-GMP certificate checked before a unit gets listed
- Your brand name, your artwork, your territory — the factory never touches your market
- 1,000+ compositions across tablets, capsules, syrups, injectables and topicals
Get a manufacturing quote
No listing fee, no brokerage. We connect you directly with the unit.
What is third party manufacturing in pharma?
Third party manufacturing is when a pharma marketing company gets its products made by an outside WHO-GMP certified factory instead of building its own plant. The manufacturer buys the raw material, produces the batch, packs it and releases it with a certificate of analysis. Your brand name, your artwork and your market rights stay with you.
You will also hear it called contract manufacturing, loan licence manufacturing (which is a different arrangement — see the comparison below) or P2P, short for principal to principal. It is fully legal under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, provided the factory holds a valid Form 25 or Form 28 licence and you hold a wholesale drug licence.
Every dosage form, on a line that already runs it
We do not send a syrup enquiry to a tablet unit. Each form below maps to manufacturers whose licence and machinery are already approved for it.
Tablets
Plain, film coated, enteric coated, sustained release, chewable and dispersible. Blister, alu-alu or strip packing.
See tablet range🔵Capsules
Hard gelatin, softgel and SR pellet-filled capsules. Printed shells and custom colour combinations available.
See capsule range🧴Syrups & suspensions
Sugar-free and sugar-based liquids in 30ml to 200ml PET or amber glass, with measuring cup or dropper.
See syrup range🥄Dry syrups
Antibiotic and paediatric dry powder for reconstitution. Filled in a dedicated block where the molecule demands it.
See dry syrup range💉Injectables
Liquid vials, ampoules, lyophilised and dry powder injections from units with a dedicated sterile area.
See injection range🧪Creams & ointments
Lami tubes and jars from 5g to 100g. Derma bases, antifungals and pain formulations.
See cream range🥛Protein & sachet powders
Protein powders, ORS and effervescent sachets in jars, tins or foil sachets with flavour customisation.
See powder range👁️Eye, ear & nasal drops
Sterile ophthalmic and ENT preparations in FFS or conventional dropper bottles, 5ml to 15ml.
See drops rangeMOQ figures are the common starting point across our listed units. Some accept less on a shared campaign batch — ask and we will check.
From enquiry to dispatch in six steps
A first order usually takes 25 to 45 days. Most of that is artwork and packing material, not production.
- 01
Send your product list
Share the compositions, packing preference and rough quantity. The more specific you are, the more accurate the quote — "Pantoprazole 40mg alu-alu 10x10" beats "some gastro products" every time.
Day 1 - 02
We match verified units
Your list goes only to manufacturers whose licence covers your section and whose lines already run that form. You get quotes from more than one, so you can compare.
Within 24 hrs - 03
Compare and negotiate
Look past the headline rate. Check what the packing costs, whether the shipper is included, and what happens if the API price moves before your PO is confirmed.
Day 2–5 - 04
Paperwork and PO
You send the drug licence, GST certificate and trademark application. The unit issues a proforma invoice, you release the advance and the order enters the plan.
Day 5–10 - 05
Artwork and packing material
This is the step people underestimate. Carton and foil artwork goes through your approval, then to the printer. Budget two to three weeks and check the proof carefully — a wrong MRP means the whole lot gets reprinted.
Day 10–30 - 06
Production, QC and dispatch
The batch is manufactured and held until QC releases it with a certificate of analysis. Goods leave with the invoice, COA and batch documentation. Keep every COA on file.
Day 30–45
Documents you need, documents you should demand
Two lists. One is what you hand over. The other is what you must get back before money moves.
What you provide
Standard across almost every unit in India.
- Wholesale drug licence — Form 20B & 21BIn your firm's name. This is non-negotiable.
- GST registration certificateFor invoicing and e-way bills
- Trademark application or registrationTM number is usually enough to start; ® comes later
- Firm registration & PANProprietorship, partnership deed or incorporation certificate
- Purchase order & approved artworkSigned artwork proof, MRP confirmed in writing
What you must get back
If a unit hesitates on any of these, treat it as your answer.
- Manufacturing licence — Form 25 or 28Read the product list annexed to it, not just the cover page
- WHO-GMP certificateCheck the validity date and the section it covers
- Certificate of analysis, per batchAssay, dissolution, disintegration, microbial limits
- COPP, if you plan to exportCertificate of Pharmaceutical Product for registration dossiers
- Written manufacturing agreementExclusivity, liability, recall and payment terms in one document
One line that saves arguments later
Put the exclusivity clause in writing. A manufacturer cannot supply your brand name to anyone else — that is automatic. But the composition is a generic molecule, and it can be made for ten other customers under ten other brand names unless your agreement says otherwise. If your territory strategy depends on being the only one selling that combination, negotiate it before the first PO, not after a competitor turns up with the same formula.
The quality bar we check before listing a unit
Verification is not a logo on a homepage. It is reading documents and confirming they cover your product.
WHO-GMP certified
Good Manufacturing Practice certification, verified against a live validity date and matched to the section your product falls under.
Revised Schedule M
India's upgraded GMP rules tightened premises, equipment qualification, documentation and quality-management expectations. We list units working to the revised standard.
Valid Form 25 / Form 28
The manufacturing licence, with the annexed product list read line by line. A licence that does not name your section cannot make your product.
In-house QC laboratory
HPLC, dissolution apparatus and a microbiology setup where the form needs it. Outsourced-only testing is a flag worth asking about.
COPP for exporters
Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product, needed when you are registering the product with a regulator outside India.
Batch traceability
Batch records, retained samples and stability data on file, so a stockist query or an FDA question has a paper trail behind it.
A directory that does the checking for you
Documents read, not assumed
Every listed unit's licence, GMP certificate and product list is checked before it appears here.
No brokerage in between
You deal with the manufacturer directly. We do not sit on the invoice or take a cut of your order.
Quotes inside 24 hours
Your list goes out the same day to units that already run your form. Usually more than one, so you can compare.
Ten years in this market
Running since 2016 out of Panchkula, close enough to the Baddi belt to know which units deliver on time.
Ranges available for third party manufacturing
Twenty-eight segments, over a thousand compositions. Pick the one your territory prescribes.
Cannot find your composition? Post it and we will source a verified maker for you.
What buyers tell us afterwards
We were three weeks into chasing units on our own and getting nowhere. Sent the same list here on a Tuesday and had four quotes by Thursday. Two of them were from plants we had not even heard of, and one of those got the order.
The bit that helped most was being told to check the product list annexed to the licence. I had been looking at the front page only. Turned out one unit I was close to signing with was not approved for the section I needed.
Started with twelve products in the gastro and ortho range. First dispatch took about forty days, mostly waiting on cartons, exactly like they warned. Second order came through in twenty-six. No surprises on the rate either.
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask us on the phone, answered properly.
What is third party manufacturing in pharma?
Third party manufacturing is when a pharma marketing company gets its products made by an outside WHO-GMP certified factory instead of building its own plant. The manufacturer handles production, packing and QC. The brand name, artwork and market rights stay with you. It is also called contract manufacturing or P2P (principal to principal) manufacturing.
Do I need a drug licence for third party manufacturing?
Yes. To get products manufactured under your own brand you need a wholesale drug licence (Form 20B and 21B) and a GST registration. You do not need a manufacturing licence, because the factory manufactures under its own Form 25 or Form 28 licence. A trademark application for your brand name is also required by most units.
What is the minimum order quantity for third party pharma manufacturing?
MOQ depends on the dosage form. Tablets and capsules usually start at around 1,00,000 units, syrups at roughly 3,000 to 5,000 bottles, dry syrups at about 5,000 bottles, ointments and creams at 5,000 to 10,000 tubes, and injectables at 10,000 vials or ampoules. Units running a shared campaign batch sometimes accept less.
How long does a third party manufacturing order take?
Plan for 25 to 45 days from purchase order to dispatch for a standard tablet or capsule order. Artwork approval and packing material printing take most of that time. Injectables and new compositions that need a fresh product permission can take longer.
What is the difference between third party manufacturing and loan licence?
In third party manufacturing the factory manufactures on its own licence and sells the finished goods to you, so you only need a wholesale drug licence. In a loan licence arrangement you hold a Form 25A or 28A loan licence in your own name and use the other company's premises and machinery, which means you carry the manufacturing liability and need more compliance.
Is third party manufacturing legal in India?
Yes. It is permitted under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. The manufacturing unit must hold a valid Form 25 or Form 28 licence and comply with the revised Schedule M, and the marketing company must hold a valid wholesale drug licence.
Can I get my own brand name printed on the product?
Yes, that is the whole point of third party manufacturing. Your brand name, logo, MRP, marketing company name and address are printed on the carton, foil and label. The manufacturer's name and licence number also appear, as required by law.
How is the price of a third party manufacturing order calculated?
The rate quoted is usually per 1,000 tablets or capsules, or per bottle or tube. It covers the API and excipients, conversion cost, primary packing and QC. Cartons, inserts, shippers and any special printing are quoted separately. API price movement is the biggest variable, so quotes are typically valid for 15 to 30 days.
Which states in India have the most third party pharma manufacturers?
Himachal Pradesh, especially the Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh belt near Solan, has the largest cluster. Other major hubs are Sikkim, Uttarakhand around Haridwar and Rudrapur, Gujarat around Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and Madhya Pradesh around Indore and Pithampur.
Will the manufacturer sell my product to someone else?
Not under your brand name. Your brand is yours, and a manufacturer cannot supply that brand to anyone else. The same composition, however, is a generic molecule and can be made for other customers under their own brand names unless you have a written exclusivity agreement.
Do I get a certificate of analysis with every batch?
Yes. Every batch should come with a certificate of analysis covering assay, dissolution, disintegration, uniformity and microbial limits as applicable to the dosage form. Ask for it before dispatch, and keep it on file for audit and stockist queries.
How do I verify that a third party manufacturer is genuine?
Ask for the Form 25 or Form 28 manufacturing licence, the WHO-GMP certificate, the product list attached to the licence, and a COPP if you plan to export. Confirm the licence covers your specific dosage form and section. Every manufacturer listed on Pharma TPM is checked on these documents before listing.
Send the list. Get real numbers back.
Compositions, quantity, packing preference — that is all we need to put your enquiry in front of units that can actually make it. No listing fee, no brokerage.