Unilab

United Laboratories or Unilab started out in 1945 as a small drugstore at Santo Cristo Street in Binondo, Manila with the name United Drug Co. It was co-founded by Jose Yao Campos, Mariano K. Tan, and Arsenio Ong.[3][4] With the aid of Howard Q. Dee, Campos' brother-in-law, the company significantly grew within its first 14 years of operations[3] and by 1959, the business was already exporting its products to Hong Kong.[4]

Unilab benefitted from Campos' close association with President Ferdinand Marcos, although the company already has had relative success prior to Marcos' presidency and the imposition of martial law in the 1970s. During the Marcos administration, Unilab was granted exclusive license to import pharmaceuticals.[5]

From the 1960s to the 2000s, Unilab established presence in other countries in Southeast Asia including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and Myanmar, as well as in United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong.[6][7]

In 2002, Unilab entered the generics drug industry by setting up RiteMed.[8]

Unilab established Synnovate Pharma Corp. in 2013 marking the start of its involvement in plant-based medicine.[9] In 2016, Unilab through its subsidiary RiteMed Philippines, Inc. fully acquired Pharex HealthCorp, a generic drug company under Pascual Laboratories Inc.[8]

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Unilab announced plans to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant by 2023.[10]

Unilab's products include branded medicine such as Biogesic and Alaxan[6] and vitamin supplements such as Conzace and Enervon.[11] Unilab also owns the generic drug brand RiteMed and Pharex, both of which are managed under its subsidiary RiteMed Philippines, Inc.[8]

• Unilab, Inc.
  • Amherst Laboratories
  • Bio-ONCO
  • Biofemme
  • Biomedis
  • LRI-Therapharma (formerly LR Imperial Inc. and Therapharma)
  • Medichem
  • Pediatrica
  • UAP (United American Pharmaceuticals)
  • Unilab Consumer Health
  • Westmont
• RiteMed
  • Pharex HealthCorp
• UL Skin Sciences (formerly Innovitelle and Myra)
• UL Health Services
• UNAHCO (formerly Univet Agricultural Products)