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The Nifty Pharma Index is made up of stocks belonging to 20 major pharma companies in the country, including Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Cipla, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Divi’s Laboratories, Lupin, Aurobindo Pharma, etc.
The Nifty Pharma Index is a market index of the stocks belonging to several prominent pharmaceutical companies in India. This index provides a single numerical representation of the financial health of major pharmaceutical companies in India.
If you have just opened a demat account and want to track pharmaceutical stocks, you should start by tracking the Nifty Pharma Index.
What is the Nifty Pharma Index? It is a collection of 20 foremost pharmaceutical companies listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The index varies in accordance with the performance of these 20 stocks.
When investors are pleased with pharma, the index rises. When investors lose confidence, the index falls. The index calculates this using free-float market capitalisation. To simplify, free-float market capitalisation refers to the stocks available for trading by the public or those not held by promoters.
So, investors are positive about the sector when the Nifty Pharma Index is up. When the index is down, it can be due to supply chain issues, increased regulation, or simply shifting market sentiment.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The Nifty Pharma Index isn’t just any random set of companies. It includes the biggest players shaping India’s healthcare story.
Here’s a quick look :
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries: India’s largest drug manufacturer with a strong global footprint.
Cipla: Known for making affordable respiratory and generic medicines.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories: An internationally operating company with products in generics, as well as active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Divi's Laboratories: A leader in the active pharmaceutical ingredient and bulk drug substance business.
Lupin: A worldwide company operating in over 100 countries that focuses on branded generics and biotechnology products.
Aurobindo Pharma: One of the leading exporters in India within the generic formulation space.
Zydus Lifesciences: More focused on vaccines and consumer healthcare goods.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals: An established company in its cardio, neuro, and GI therapeutics.
Alkem Laboratories: Well-known for its anti-infective and analgesic franchises.
IPCA Laboratories: Provides APIs and formulations to its customers globally.
Mankind Pharma: Known for growing its domestic business and price competitiveness.
Laurus Labs: Explores APIs and custom manufacturing.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals: Conducting research in dermatology and oncology.
Abbott India: A multinational healthcare collaborator focused on branded generics.
Biocon: Known for its biosimilars and biopharmaceutical developments.
J B Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals: Focused on cardiovascular and digestive segments.
Gland Pharma: Strong in injectables and contract manufacturing.
Natco Pharma: Pioneer in oncology and speciality generics for affordable prices.
Sanofi India: Provides medicines and vaccines used for chronic diseases.
Granules India: involved in large-scale manufacturing of APIs and finished formulations.
Together, these companies represent India’s pharmaceutical heartbeat — from making essential drugs to driving research that reaches every corner of the world.
Not every pharmaceutical corporation can qualify for a spot on this list. The NSE has a particular set of rules to determine qualification and admission, similar to an exclusive club. Companies must qualify first. ET can only include companies that:
Companies should form part of the Nifty 500 at the time of review. In case the number of eligible stocks representing a particular sector within the Nifty 500 falls below 20, then deficit number of stocks shall be selected from the universe of stocks ranked within top 800 based on both average daily turnover and average daily full market capitalisation based on the previous six-month period data used for index rebalancing of Nifty 500.
Companies should form a part of the pharmaceutical sector.
The company's trading frequency should be at least 90% in the last six months.
The Company should have a minimum listing history of 1 month as on the cutoff date.
Final selection of 20 companies shall be done based on the free-float market capitalisation of the companies. A preference shall be given to companies that are available for trading in NSE’s Futures & Options segment at the time of final selection.
Weightage of each stock in the index is calculated based on its free-float market capitalisation such that no single stock shall be more than 33% and weightage of top 3 stocks cumulatively shall not be more than 62% at the time of rebalancing.
So, if you ever notice a new name pop up in the index, it’s probably because it’s met all these conditions and proven its market strength.
Source: NSE Indices Ltd. — Nifty Pharma Index Factsheet and Methodology
Watching the Nifty Pharma Index rise and fall can reveal a lot — but only if you know how to read it. Here’s how to make sense of those movements:
In case you are investing in a pharma mutual fund, check its performance against the Nifty Pharma Index.
If the fund is consistently lagging behind the index, it might not be in good shape. Since the Nifty Pharma Index tracks the complete sector, your fund should ideally be benchmarked to it.
If this is not the case, you might think about reviewing the fund as an investment.
Like pharma, there are indices for IT, banking, and FMCG. By comparing Pharma with these other sectors, you can see which sectors are performing better in comparison.
If Nifty Pharma is performing worse than Nifty FMCG, it might indicate that the pharma industry is experiencing a short-term challenge.
This type of comparison can give you a wider view of timely investor interest.
The Nifty 50 reflects the performance of the overall Indian market. We can compare this index to the Nifty Pharma Index to see how pharmaceutical stocks are performing relative to the overall market.
If Nifty Pharma is performing better than Nifty 50, it shows that investors are becoming increasingly interested or positive about the pharmaceutical sector, but that does not mean it is a good opportunity to buy at that time. The prior price increases may already take into account the higher expectations of the sector. In other words, the optimism may already be priced in.
Remember that each stock moves differently in the index.
If the companies go up or down in price, then they will have a big impact on the index.
And if you follow these big stocks, you can understand how the markets of pharma stocks are moving along with the entire sector. The Nifty Pharma Index could be viewed as a compass.
Although it will not give you direction on current trading, we will provide you with the industry direction as it moves forward.
If you're sincere about acquiring comprehensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, the Nifty Pharma Index should be one of your regular readings. It's not just a number; it's a measure of the entire industry's pulse.
Following it helps you gauge whether Indian pharmaceutical companies are growing in countries, weathering headwinds, or entering another phase of growth.
And yes, it's not just for seasoned investors—even if you're new to investing, following the Nifty Pharma Index can show you a lot about investor psychology and trends in the industry.
If you'll ever plan to buy pharmaceutical stocks, you're going to want to open a demat account to hold and track your portfolio. Opening one with Bajaj Broking can help facilitate that while keeping your portfolio organised.
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