Putting Indian diagnostics on the world map

J.Mitra - an R&D pioneer in India’s diagnostics ecosystem - made the term ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ a trend long before it became fashionable. Today, its ‘home grown’ template of quality, trust and innovation is fast becoming a much-admired global phenomenon. 

Meet the brand 

J Mitra & Company is India’s leading R&D driven bio-technology company in the in-vitro diagnostics space, and a pioneer in the manufacturing and marketing of IVD Test Kits in India. It is a technology and innovation first company that prioritizes the preservation of human lives and bettering of society’s standard of health. A steadfast tradition of purpose fuelled quality has led the organization’s sterling and harmonious growth journey - helping it garner an enviable recognition that extends far beyond its frontiers. Globally, J Mitra & Company is recognised as a quality driven name in biotechnology  with an extremely robust R&D backbone, a conscience that ticks for society, and an ever-expanding legacy of performance and trust.

A mission to put Indian diagnostics on the world map

Lalit Mahajan, the Chairman of J Mitra & Company, is a visionary with a social zeal. Even as he was pursuing his Chemical Engineering in the 1960s, Mr Mahajan could spot a major gap in the demand-supply dynamic of essential diagnostics tests, most of which were imported from abroad. Recognizing the opportunity to fulfil a great social duty by mitigating this gap, he set up the company in 1969. For the last five decades, the founder of J. Mitra has devoted his life for the benefit of mankind and to the field of life-sciences. The visionary persona is constantly striving to develop new products and inventions for easier and quicker diagnosis of life-threatening diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis-C, and Dengue and others for the greater benefit of humanity. A revered name in the industry (as an inventor of biotechnological products for in- vitro diagnostics geared towards emerging infectious diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, H1N1 etc), Mr Mahajan has been recognized as “India’s Patent King” by The Wall Street Journal, a tribute to over 55 patents that have the man’s name to them – the highest for any individual in the country. 

Vision – mission – philosophy

J.Mitra, the corporate, is guided by its vision to make India entirely self-sufficient in the IVD space, and to cement a front-running position of the country in the global diagnostics consideration set. Its driving mission is to serve mankind and the field of life-sciences through new products and inventions for easier and quicker diagnosis of life-threatening diseases, and making these products accessible at affordable costs even in the most resource-deficient economies, demographics and locations. The brand’s initiatives are hinged around the core philosophies of ethics, humanity, compassion and social consciousness. 

The original disruptor 

J Mitra & Co was a disruptor in the diagnostics space of the country long before the term became a fashionable industry buzzword. After all, at a time when most of the diagnostics tests were being imported, the company took up the daunting task of establishing an ‘indigenous’ / ‘home-grown’ diagnostics R&D infrastructure and ecosystem in India. Taking on the mighty MNC giants who were operating in India at the time was certainly no mission for the faint of heart, but the call of building a new, self-reliant India that would shine on the global diagnostics map was too strong to let adversaries stand in the way. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Need Gap Brand J Mitra is fulfilling

J Mitra & Company has played a key role in establishing India on the global diagnostics landscape, and making India sustainably ‘aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in its fight against diseases like HIV, Hepatitis-C, and Dengue, TB, Malaria, Chikungunya, and H1N1. More significantly, the brand has helped elevate the quality of life of citizens by catalysing early detection of ailments, thereby decreasing discomfort and cost of fighting the disease.

An evolving legacy of several ‘First’s 

The footprints the Brand is leaving behind on the sands of time continue to evolve, reinventing itself with the demands of the changing times. J.Mitra has etched its name indelibly in pantheon of healthcare brands that are Thought Leaders of their domain and industry, and will be remembered for its formidable and forward-looking exploits on the R&D front. “Based on the results and performance of our R&D efforts, we have built a legacy of Trust, Quality, and Innovation, and we would like to imbibe these within all our publics,” says Lalit Mahajan. 

The company has had an extraordinary run so far, catalysing several Industry firsts. Not surprisingly, the brand is considered a leader in the global marketspace, exporting to over 45 countries and sporting several products on its portfolio that are No. 1 in their class and category even after 20 years of their launch. Some stellar feathers on J.Mitra’s cap are: 

1. Maximum number of patents in India – over 55 at last count. 

2. First Indian Company to get drug manufacturing licenses for critical tests in both rapid and Elisa formats like HIV, HBV, HCV.

3. Introduced the technology of differential detection of HIV 1 and HIV 2 in single rapid kit format, a product which remains the market leader after two decades. 

4. Dengue Day 1 Test (world-class IVD product) which have achieved no. 1 market share after its launch in 2010.

5. Pioneer of Fluorescence Immunoassay technology which it introduced for quantitative and qualitative range of tests. These tests can be performed on the state-of-the-art analyser called i-Quant, developed in partnership with HTIC, IIT Madras.

6. Launch of 2 Covid Test kits and 2 Covid Test readers, to make India self-reliant and empowered in the fight against Corona.

7. All that apart, the company manufactures a range of Tests for infectious diseases like HIV, HBV, HCV, Dengue, Malaria, Typhoid, Leptospira in both rapid and ELISA test formats. Their other products include a range of anti-Sera products and confirmatory tests like Western Blot for HIV.

An unerring eye on Quality 

The brand remains fully cognizant of its responsibility in the healthcare community, and has been proactively following ‘best industry practices’. Its large-scale automation not only helps maintain top-notch quality at all times but is also designed to successfully meet the bulk requirements of its patrons and customers. Brand J.Mitra enjoys a slew of distinguished Quality Certifications like

1. TUV SUD Certification
2. ICMED 13485
3. ISO 9001:2015
4. EN ISO 13485:2016

Initiatives and Endeavours

Till 2019, it was all about social consciousness and meeting the social corporate responsibility at J.Mitra. During 2020, the focal zone shifted to the safety and well-being of all stakeholders, especially the employees and their families. In 2021, J.Mitra has trained its sights on educating and spreading awareness about various ailments and their tests solutions. As part of the CME (Continued Medical Educational) needs of the ecosystem that it operates in, the organization has initiated TIDE (Transforming the Indian Diagnostics Environment) - a series of strategic webinars and outreach programs geared to help the industry to upgrade its knowledge, approach and readiness. 

Impact & Achievements 

Honours & Awards

The highway ahead: Future milestones and events  

Lalit Mahajan shares a peek of the brand’s forward trajectory when he says, “At J Mitra, our foremost priority is R&D. Our research and development wing constantly endeavours to drive innovation and development of newer, better, enhanced efficiency and lower costs. At any given point of time, several initiatives are being driven simultaneously. We will continue to launch growth-oriented products to grow our top-line and bottom-line. The focus would be on decreasing costs and turnaround time for test results, increasing efficiency and ease of use, while focusing on increasing the footprint to cover more and more resource-scarce settings and regions.”

Parting shot  

“The Indian diagnostics landscape is now in the spotlight. People are now valuing health and wellness much more than they did earlier. There is a growing focus on diagnostics and maintenance – on preventive healthcare. We are sure to see a healthier resurgent India that will spring back into full action faster than other countries”, concludes Lalit Mahajan, the mind behind the brand.  

*This story is published by VOH Team*