[4][5] Cipla was founded in Mumbai in 1935 by Khwaja Abdul Hamied as the Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratories.

[6] In 1999, Cipla joined the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance as a founding member in an effort to promote the development of generic drugs in India.

[10] During the avian flu pandemic in 2006, Cipla was able to reverse-engineer the drug Tamiflu and sell it for significantly lower prices.

[11][12] At the time of the acquisition, Cipla-Medpro had been a distribution partner for Cipla and was South Africa's third-biggest pharmaceutical company.

[15] In September 2023, it was announced Cipla South Africa had acquired the Midrand-headquartered healthcare products manufacturer, Actor Pharma.

[18] In April 2024, Cipla acquired Ivia Beaute Pvt Ltd's cosmetics and personal care distribution and marketing business for ₹130 crore.

Cipla also cooperates with other enterprises in areas such as consulting, commissioning, engineering, project appraisal, quality control, know-how transfer, support, and plant supply.

During the FY 2013–14, the company incurred ₹1,285 crore (equivalent to ₹21 billion or US$240 million in 2023) on employee benefit expenses.

Since then, Cipla has also produced a low-cost drug to treat HIV, and expanded operations into several developing countries.