Cipla’s YK Hamied is no ordinary business leader. He is a pioneer and a disruptor who has significantly changed the global pharma landscape in his over 50-year professional career.
In 2000-01, the HIV/Aids threat had intensified across sub-Saharan Africa, affecting millions. To compound the problem, the medicines that could help treat the condition were prohibitively priced, making them unaffordable for the socio-economically under-privileged patients in the region. It was at this juncture that an idea changed their lives, the drug industry, and the shape of one Indian pharmaceutical company in particular.
Yusuf Khwaja Hamied—inspired by a chance read of a medical journal—decided to create a “triple cocktail” of drugs, at a fraction of their original price, which would help control and manage the disease. The product, called Triomune, comprised stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine (three ingredients that were being manufactured and sold independently under different brand names by various drug companies). Triomune was manufactured by Cipla at its three plants—one each in Mumbai, Patalganga (in Raigad district, outside of Mumbai) and Bengaluru.
Hamied, then chairman of Cipla, offered this tablet to global nongovernmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for distribution at $350 (Rs 15,750, with $1 equalling Rs 45) per patient per year, compared to $12,000 (Rs 540,000) per patient per year that the combination of the prevailing individual drugs cost in 2001. The global companies that manufactured these three drugs had no option but to reduce prices.
(Since then, other Indian companies have offered variants of the cocktail, at between $50 and $60 per patient per year. Cipla, however, does not manufacture Triomune anymore.)
“Hamied was completely fearless. When I first met Cipla officials, I was struck by the fact that they were not in awe of multinational pharma corporations,” recalls Leena Menghaney, South Asia head of MSF’s Access Campaign, who first met Hamied in 2005.
Denne historien er fra Best of Forbes, March 2017-utgaven av Forbes India.
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Denne historien er fra Best of Forbes, March 2017-utgaven av Forbes India.
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Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
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THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
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LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
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DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
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