Nikkhil K Masurkar, Pharmaceutical Entrepreneur, Entod Pharmaceuticals

A Research Pharmacist with a Dynamic Entrepreneurial Streak

Nikkhil K Masurkar is the CEO of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, one of INDIA’s leading specialty research-based pharmaceutical companies specialising in ophthalmic, ENT and Dermatological medicines. His strong leadership qualities, dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and sharp business acumen together with impressive pharmaceutical & research skills have made ENTOD pharmaceuticals into one of the fastest growing speciality pharmaceutical & healthcare companies in India and abroad. Being a maverick in his field and often called as the “Elon Musk of the Indian Pharma Industry” for his groundbreaking innovations in the eye care and skincare segment, Mr Masurkar hails from a proud pharmaceutical business family that inherits an inspiring legacy that goes back over a 100 years.

INSPIRATIONAL GREAT GRANDMOTHER

His great grandmother, the late Mrs Rukhma Vitthal Masurkar was a single mother and woman pharmaceutical entrepreneur in 1930s rural Karnataka popular for her home-made skin remedies. Having lost her husband at a very young age she moved to Karwar (Karnataka) with her children and supported her family by formulating her own creams and ointments intended for a range of skin conditions. She used to head out to the forest regularly to procure specific plants and herbs of medical value, and return home to grind them down. Then with the knowledge that was passed to her through the generations, she used to formulate them into creams and ointments. Her home-made skin remedies became very popular in Karwar and surrounding villages, and many friends & relatives made her a local household name.

PIONEERING GRANDFATHER

His grandfather, the late Mr G V Masurkar was a visionary & pioneer in the Indian pharmaceutical industry in the 1960s and widely regarded as the “Father of Indian Pharma Entrepreneurship” specifically known for introducing the popular paracetamol brand CROCIN for the first time in India. Mr G V Masurkar was remembered as “India’s CROCIN MAN” and was also the man behind the success of Lacto Calamine skin lotion. He set up ENTOD Pharmaceuticals post retirement with negligible capital but with a great passion to innovate in the speciality pharmaceutical sector. His specialised expertise & strong interest in ophthalmic, ENT & Dermatology medicines allowed him to develop his pharmaceutical skins to excel in these therapeutic areas. He was coincidently one of the first in India to set up a dedicated sterile ophthalmic manufacturing unit way back in 1977.

VISIONARY FATHER

His father Mr Kishore Masurkar is the chairman of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, a renowned biochemist with impeccable business & entrepreneurial skills and a remarkable vision for global success. He massively upgraded the company's R&D facilities, quality systems and company protocols and increased the product range, marketing & sales activities and number of field based representatives. It is him who has carried forward this great family legacy and been instrumental in the exponential rise of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals in INDIA and abroad. It is due to his vast technical experience, dynamic leadership qualities and strong standing in the industry over the years that has allowed the family business to grow from strength to strength.

WORLD CLASS EDUCATION

Nikkhil belongs to a new generation of Indian pharma innovators who are bold enough to push the boundaries when it comes to indigenous pharmaceutical research. He is a highly qualified research pharmacist from Kings College London (UK) with various clinical pharmacy and formulation research accreditations to his name. He is also a member of the prestigious Royal Pharmaceutical Society in the UK.

RELATED HEALTHCARE VENTURES

Nikkhil also owns and runs several international healthcare, beauty and wellness brands such as Eyecirque Eye Care & Eye Beauty, Lashfactor London Eye Beauty Serums & I-Dew Eye Care.

LIFESTYLE & SPIRITUALITY

Nikkhil is a modern human spiritualist and Sanātanī guided by the eternal law & universal phenomena of Sanatana Dharma. He follows a strict vegan diet and does his best to live a sustainable & eco-friendly lifestyle. He is a devout animal lover, and a strong opponent of the dairy, meat and tanning industry. He considers science & spirituality two sides of the same coin seeking one universal truth, although by using different testing methods and experiential tools.

Research Profile

OPHTHALMIC & ENT

In the eye care segment, Nikkhil with his research team at ENTOD Pharmaceuticals’ state-of-the-art DSIR approved laboratories was the first in the world to successfully develop and commercialise an eye drop used to slow down myopia (short-sightedness) in children and help keep their “minus number” in check. He has also been the man behind the multiple award winning #ThinkMyopiaSeeBetter campaign to raise the awareness of myopia to over 1 crore people in India including parents, teachers and children.

Nikkhil was the first in India to develop an innovative eye injection used during cataract removal surgery that keeps the eye dilated during the procedure, reduces immediate post-operative pain and cuts down surgery and waiting times for patients. This injection is used routinely in most cataract surgeries performed in the country today and has significantly improved the experience of patients undergoing cataract surgery.

He has also been the first in India to develop an eye drop that could rid people over 40 years of age of their reading glasses. ENTOD Pharmaceutical says that these eye drops, currently under phase 3 clinical trials in india, have the potential to replace reading glasses for people who have trouble seeing close-up as they age, a condition known as presbyopia.

Nikkhil has been instrumental in the development of a novel antibiotic eye injection used at the end of the cataract eye removal procedure to prevent infections post-surgery and improve safety. This injection has drastically improved surgery safety across the length and breath of the country.

SKINCARE

In the skincare & aesthetics segment Nikkhil was the first in the world to develop a proprietary neurotoxin-based facial gel serum to reduce fine lines and expression wrinkles in early ageing skin. This novel concept allows for an injection-FREE approach to achieving younger looking skin that’s affordable, safe and clinically proven.

For more of Nikkhil’s eye care & skincare innovations and his several upcoming research projects please email his research team on research@entodpharma.com

“To take forward such a great family legacy of pharmaceutical & healthcare innovation started by my great grandmother is a gigantic responsibility, and I feel an immense sense of gratitude to have been given the opportunity to do this. Our innovations are not just for the people of India and the world, but to motivate our young budding entrepreneurs and researchers to go all out in their quest to improve the health & lives of people around them. And it’s not only about innovation, but ENTOD Pharmaceuticals also prides itself of a purely dharmic philosophical approach in its mission, business models and operations, and incorporates a family-based culture & value system. We are a proud Indian originating company that is patriotic to the core and which doesn’t leave any stone unturned to make our country proud.”

Nikkhil K Masurkar