For Sharvil Patel, February 2020 brought back uncanny memories from a decade ago.
The world was battling another pandemic, swine flu—that originated in Veracruz, Mexico, and spread across 74 countries, killing over 18,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The unofficial number, though, estimates that the virus may have killed some 500,000 people, between 2009 and 2010. In India, nearly 2,700 people had lost their lives and over 40,000 were affected.
As pharmaceutical companies scrambled for a cure, Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila emerged as a dark horse, becoming the third pharmaceutical firm in the world to bring out a vaccine.
“We were able to bring the H1N1 vaccine to market in less than 10 months,” Sharvil Patel, managing director of Zydus Cadila, tells Forbes India in a telephone interview. “We brought a vaccine in a short period and were the third company in the world after the global companies to have an H1N1 vaccine.” The vaccine, VaxiFlu-S, was the first one to be made in India, where scientists at Zydus Cadila’s facility in Ahmedabad grew the virus in live, fertilised chicken eggs to develop the vaccine.
Today, it’s that experience that Patel and his team are counting on to drive Zydus’s quest to find a cure for the coronavirus. The pandemic, which began in December 2019, has so far killed over 1.5 million and affected some 68.3 million worldwide. In India, the virus has affected 9.74 million people and killed over 141,000.
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2021-utgaven av Forbes India.
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Denne historien er fra January 01, 2021-utgaven av Forbes India.
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Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
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
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
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
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet