New Zealand Pharmaceuticals Ltd (NZP) was formed in 1971 to extract and purify biochemicals from by-products of the New Zealand meat processing industry. The company's first products were pharmaceutical intermediates extracted from bile. Over the next 15 years NZP's reputation for quality and service allowed it to become one of the major manufacturers and suppliers of these products to the worldwide market. In the 1980's the product range broadened to include a variety of other biochemicals from the meat industry and in recent years, development has focused on biochemicals and extracts from plant materials.