United Laboratories

United Laboratories (UNILAB) is a Filipino pharmaceutical company based in Mandaluyong City.

It was founded by Mr. J.Y. Campos and Mr. M.K. Tan in 1945 as a small corner drug store in Binondo, Manila. Since then, the company has grown to have a significant market share in the Philippines and in the Asia-Pacific region.

History

After surviving World War II as buy-and-sell trader, in 1945, Jose Yao Campos and Mariano K. Tan started a small corner drugstore on Sto. Cristo Street in Manila’s Chinatown district (Binondo), calling the venture United Drug Co. A few years later, the drugstore had evolved into a pharmaceutical company, with a simple manufacturing setup at Campos residential compound. By 1959, fourteen years after its founding, Unilab had the largest market share in the Philippine pharmaceuticals industry.

Operations

Unilab develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of prescription and consumer health products covering all major therapeutic categories. Many of these products are leading brands in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Unilab has facilities throughout Southeast Asia. Its major manufacturing complex is in Manila. It is the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the Philippines, with Philippine revenues comparable to its top three largest multinational competitors, combined. According to the company website, Unilab has also consistently maintained a 20-percent market share. Today, Unilab has affiliates in 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.