ABSTRACT
Dr Yusuf K Hamied, chairman and managing director of Indian pharmaceutical firm CIPLA, has been called all manner of names—pirate, copycat, pain in neck, robin hood, generic genius, and even god. The outbreak of Second World War and consequent disruption in shipping lanes proved to be blessing for CIPLA, as doctors and hospitals had no choice but to rely on indigenous products and not European formulations. As demand for medicines from Indian army surged, and supplies from European manufacturers collapsed, CIPLA provided quinine to treat malaria, emetine injections for dysentery and nikethamide tablets for trauma. The India's patent law ushered in what Hamied describes as start of golden era for India's generic companies including CIPLA. Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), independent organization based in Geneva, aims to bring together two entities which have perpetually been at loggerheads—Big Pharma and generic companies so that supply of cheap HIV drugs to poor countries continues.
