Bringing expensive medicines within reach
Healthcare is a basic right everyone deserves irrespective of social, cultural, economic or geographic differences. But not all can afford quality treatment or care, either because it isn’t financially viable, or because particular drugs aren’t available or accessible. This is where we come in — we work hard, sometimes against great odds, to bring expensive medicines within reach. And more often than not, it’s passion that drives us.
Over the past few years, one of the fields we’ve been focused on is orphan drugs, designed to address the needs of patients suffering from rare diseases. Because of the resources that go into innovator research and production, such drugs tend to be steeply priced and very selectively available. But a disease is a disease, and as long as there are suffering patients, our work doesn’t stop.
One of the products recently launched in the US goes to treat Wilson’s disease, a genetic disorder that causes copper poisoning in the body. Dr Reddy’s began to develop the generic drug in 2015; for a while, it was like working on any other project. Until a scientist’s son fell ill and was diagnosed with Wilson’s disease. The medicine to treat it was not approved in India — this is still the case, given the country’s underdeveloped policies around rare diseases — which made the generic development project personal for the team.
“It was a very difficult experience for me,” says Rahul Chopra*. “I wondered why I was working on this drug when my son needed it and it wasn’t available to him. At the same time, this motivated me, and I made it my personal agenda to ensure the generic drug reaches others.”
At one point, it seemed like the project will fall through. The drug is complex, and there were challenges in terms of ingredients, containment of impurities and handling. But an affordable generic was the need of the hour, so Chopra worked determinedly so the drug gets filed, approved and launched.
“We learn from acts of courage around us,” says Kapil Choudhury, Head of Business Development. “I worked closely with Rahul throughout this journey and the way he conducted himself was grace under fire. You see such resolve and it changes you.”
The generic has brought relief to many patients in the US struggling to cope, but for both Kapil and Rahul, this remains a work in progress. Because our promises are ongoing commitments, and our work will go on until every patient in the world has access to whatever medicines they need to be healthy and happy.
*Name changed for anonymity
