India’s largest maker of glass primary packaging for injectable drugs has a new name. SCHOTT Poonawalla Private Limited is now SCHOTT Pharma India Private Limited, with the change taking effect from 28 October 2026. The rebrand ties the Indian business more visibly to its German majority shareholder, SCHOTT Pharma AG & Co. KGaA, at a time when demand for high-quality vials, cartridges and prefillable syringes is rising on the back of biologics, biosimilars and GLP-1 therapies.

A name change, not a structural one

The company has been clear that the move is limited to its identity. Ownership, management, employees, business strategy, operations, products, services and existing customer commitments all stay as they were. Asked by businessline about the shareholding and a possible listing, the company said the shareholding structure remains unchanged and that there is no change to the legal structure or operations beyond the new name.

What the new name does is place the India operation squarely inside SCHOTT Pharma’s global network of drug containment and delivery businesses, aligning the brand customers see in India with the one they already deal with in Europe, the US and elsewhere.

Scale that matters for India’s injectables supply chain

The numbers explain why the business is significant for Indian pharma. According to SCHOTT Pharma, the Indian company produces more than 3 billion containers a year, enough to support roughly 7,000 injections reaching patients every minute. During the COVID-19 pandemic its vials were used for more than 4.3 billion vaccine doses worldwide, around 3 billion of them in India.

The company also describes itself as India’s only manufacturer of glass prefillable syringes and sterile, ready-to-use formats. Its portfolio spans syringes, cartridges, vials and ampoules made from Type I borosilicate glass, along with regulatory support services for pharma companies, biotech firms and contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs).

Leadership view

Roy Joseph, CEO and Managing Director of SCHOTT Pharma India, said the new identity combines the company’s strength in India with SCHOTT Pharma’s global innovation and expertise. He said the company sees significant opportunity to deepen collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners and to advance drug containment and delivery solutions, while staying focused on growing with customers and the safe, reliable delivery of critical therapies.

Dr Christian Mias, CEO of SCHOTT Pharma AG & Co. KGaA, said the rename from SCHOTT Poonawalla to SCHOTT Pharma India reinforces the strategic partnership and confirms the group’s long-term commitment to India as a key pharma hub.

Capacity build-out for biologics and GLP-1s

Alongside the rebrand, the company reiterated that it continues to invest in additional manufacturing capacity for prefillable syringes and cartridges. These formats are central to the next wave of injectable therapies, including biologics, biosimilars and GLP-1-based treatments for diabetes and obesity, where self-administration and dose accuracy make syringe and cartridge quality a critical part of the product.

Going forward, SCHOTT Pharma India said it will focus on expanding its containment and delivery capabilities, driving innovation through customer collaboration, and strengthening operational excellence and sustainability.

Why it matters

For Indian drugmakers moving up the value chain into biosimilars, complex injectables and GLP-1 generics, reliable domestic access to regulated-market-grade primary packaging is becoming as strategic as API supply. A closer alignment between SCHOTT’s India operations and its global parent could help local manufacturers access the same container technologies, quality standards and regulatory documentation that global customers rely on, while keeping supply chains closer to home.

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