The Indianapolis, US headquartered global pharma giant Eli Lily is hunting for partners who could co-fund its multi-drug resistant TB project in India. ?We are already in talks with USAID and exploring talks with some other foundations who could match our spending to support our tuberculosis initiatives in India,? said Patrizia Carlevaro, head of the international aid unit for Eli Lilly. Such a partnership will help us expand and diversify our efforts in India, added Carlevaro.
The pharma company, which already works in and around Delhi and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, plans to start its project in Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and in Maharashtra this year, along with the partnership of the state government. We will also eventually look for local partners like food companies, which could sponsor and distribute packets of rice or eatables for patients who come to be treated to the DOT centres. This will increase compliance among TB patients, of whom a huge section hail from extremely poor background, added Carlevaro.
Admitting that there is a prevailing fear that in the wake of down-turn, contribution from the big pharma companies on projects in developing countries may dry up, Carlevaro, however added that Lily officials met early this year and decided against any such cuts in the commitments already announced till 2011. This is mainly because US-based big pharmas, which on an average commit about 2 to 3% of their revenues to such ventures, perceive these spending as long-term investments that engage people in their present, emerging and potential markets. Industry analysts term these efforts as partial brand building exercises based on philanthropic activities to create familiarity in the countries, which open new vista for these pharma companies.
The US pharma firm has committed a total of $135 million resources to this effort that includes technology transfer, medicines, financial and human resources spanning across seven years between 2003 and 2011. The firm released $70 million worth resources in the first phase between 2003 and 2007, of which around 30% was in form of technology transfer, wherein the company shared the technology to produce cheaper MDR TB drugs- capreomycin and cycloserine with select partners. In India, Lily has tied up with Chennai-based Shasun chemicals and drugs, which produces cycloserine. The company has partnered with Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa, Hisun Pharmaceutical in China, SIA International/Biocom in Russia. Approximately another 30% is being spent on supplying drugs that the company undertook through WHO programmes. The rest is being spent on training medicos, paramedical and health professionals and spreading awareness through creative and innovative pursuits, shared Carlevaro.
For instance, recently the company partnered with Jagaran group to publish a number with every TB related article. On every SMS to that number, it recommended the closest DOT centre, said Anurag Khera, Eli Lily India. In China, the company distributed 400,000 card decks with TB awareness messages in Beijing train stations targeting the most vulnerable migrant workers. In South Africa, the company got an ex-beauty pageant winner who suffered from TB to spread the word. The company got comic books published with Figo, the Portugese footballer as the central character to create awareness in Soccer loving countries, said Carlevaro.