Coronavirus: Zydus Wellness launches hand sanitizer under Nycil brand to meet growing demand

New Delhi: Zydus Group firm Zydus Wellness on Wednesday said it has forayed into hand sanitizer category with the launch of its product under the ''Nycil'' brand in the country to meet the rising demand due to COVID-19 outbreak.

The company had acquired the Nycil brand as part of its acquisition of Heinz India.

The company decided to roll out this product in a record time of 12 days, as a response to the current pandemic. Nycil sanitizer consists of neem and aloevera extracts that helps kill 99.9 percent germs, Zydus Wellness said.

"We had acquired the Nycil brand as part of the acquisition of Heinz India. When we worked for the extension of the Nycil brand, one of the categories that came up was hand sanitizers. We had decided to launch this in 2021," Zydus Wellness CEO Tarun Arora told PTI.

However, given the extraordinary times we are living in, the company decided to prepone the launch plans. As there is a need in the country for sanitizers, it was decided to launch it now, he added.

"We are in a process of rolling it out across the country. This is the first-ever brand extension of Nycil. We have launched in the north, and as production ramps up we are in the process of scaling it to all parts of the country," Arora said.

The company plans to roll out more than 2 million bottles on a priority basis in the next 30 days to be made available across India for medical help providers and general consumption, he added.

When asked if the company is also looking at other brand extensions for Nycil, Arora replied in affirmative and said Zydus Wellness is looking at valuating the timing and preparations for it.

On being asked if the company is also facing problems due to the nationwide lockdown, he said, "Right now we are also facing supply chain issues because of the lockdown, but the government is helping the industry to smoothen this process. It is a step in the right direction. Local governments are also helping the industry in this."

The hand sanitizer is a permanent offering from the company and will continue to exist in the portfolio beyond the current situation, Zydus Wellness said.

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