Warburg Pincus To Buy Universal NutriScience In ₹2,800 Cr Deal

Global private equity firm Warburg Pincus has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire Universal NutriScience (UNS), the maker of cod liver oil capsule brand Seacod, in a deal valued at around ₹2,700-2,800 crore, as per a report by The Economic Times (ET).

The proposed transaction comes as private equity firms, pharmaceutical companies and consumer businesses increase their focus on nutraceuticals, preventive healthcare, personalised nutrition and healthy ageing.

According to the ET report, all existing investors in UNS, including Kedaara Capital, the founding Tannan family and minority shareholders, are expected to exit through the transaction.

Warburg Pincus is understood to have prevailed over competing bids from ChrysCapital, Procter & Gamble, TA Associates and Haleon, the former consumer health business of GlaxoSmithKline.

A formal announcement is expected in the coming days.

UNS was formed in 2021 through a partnership between Kedaara Capital and Universal Medicare.

The company was created following the acquisition of 16 nutraceutical brands from Sanofi India for ₹587 crore. Its portfolio includes Seacod, ECod, CoQ, Primosa and Collaflex.

UNS expects revenue of around ₹340 crore and EBITDA of about ₹110 crore in FY27, as per ET.

Kedaara Capital had decided to sell its stake in UNS and had appointed Rothschild to manage the process, ET reported in March.

The deal is expected to generate about a fivefold rupee return for Kedaara on its five-year investment.

Warburg Builds India Pharma Platform

The acquisition would also add nutraceutical and healthcare brands to Warburg Pincus' broader India healthcare strategy.

The private equity firm has been assembling a domestic pharmaceuticals platform through acquisitions in specialised segments, including women's health and orthopaedics.

Its recent acquisition of Integrace Health followed investments in Koye Pharma and the non-TB portfolio of Maneesh Pharmaceuticals. Rehan A Khan, former managing director of MSD and Abbott India, joined Integrace Health as CEO.

Nutraceutical Market Attracts Investors

India's nutraceutical market was valued at around $29-30 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach nearly $55-57 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 10.50%, according to Care Ratings.

India's pharmaceutical market stood at ₹2.45 lakh crore as of March 2026 on a moving-average turnover basis and is growing at about 10% annually, according to PharmaTrac.

The sector has also seen increased deal activity. USV acquired a 79% stake in Wellbeing Nutrition at a valuation of about ₹1,583 crore, while Hindustan Unilever acquired the remaining 49% stake in OZiva at a valuation of about ₹1,682 crore.

Marico has also acquired a 60% stake in plant-based protein startup Cosmix at an equity valuation of ₹375 crore.