Pharmaceutical business and science
At first it seemed that this was just an unusual advertising campaign, but the company's management refuted journalistic speculation and told about a cunning plan to receive dividends in ten years.
The formal reason for the Saturday meeting at the country boarding house of the heads of the pharmaceutical company "Valenta", medical scientists and journalists was the summing up of the contest "Light of Knowledge in the name of human Health", in which young researchers competed in obtaining new knowledge about the original domestic drug "Phenotropil". The contest itself started back in February 2007, but its final part was postponed for various reasons. And now, finally, the very hour has come, or rather, two whole days of the firm's reckoning with the winners, many of whom, by the way, represented regional scientific institutes. On Friday, they were entertained at the boarding house with billiards and karaoke songs, on Saturday they were awarded prizes and honored at a lavish banquet.
"The most useful thing in this competition is that for once psychiatrists and neuropathologists of the country have come together. It turned out that we did not compete in the works, but simply performed our own part of the research, as a result, there were common topics for conversation at the meeting, there was no zealous attitude," said a representative of science of the Perm state regional institution "Center for Comprehensive Rehabilitation" at the time of awarding for the 2nd place in the nomination "Neurological Diseases". disabled people" Anna Lebedeva.
The organizers, in turn, admired the works of the contestants, claiming that each is worthy of an award. And there was no doubt about the sincerity of the praise: nevertheless, scientists investigated the effect of the drug "Phenotropil" actively promoted by Valenta, and found that in addition to the already known functions, the drug has many other properties that make it effective in the prevention and therapy of a whole bunch of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Of course, the manufacturer really liked it.
How the business was temperedHowever, we, the journalists, were impressed not so much by the hypothetically wonderful properties of the advertised drug, as by the emotional and patriotic history of the development of science in the commercial company "Valenta", told by the deputy director of the company, the developer of the very "Phenotropil" Valentina Akhapkina.
The roots of this story go back to the financial and economic crisis that broke out in Russia in the late 90s of the last century. At that time, Valentina Akhapkina, an employee of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who discovered a new class of chemical compounds - neuromodulators, and developed the first original drug "Philotropin" on its basis, decided to organize her own pharmaceutical business. But it turned out to be very difficult to combine science and commercial activity. "As a result, after a while I started looking for an investor to whom I could transfer my developments, but the search did not lead to anything," Ms. Akhapkina shared. — I was completely disappointed in the Russian business, and even when friends recommended reliable partners in the person of the heads of the company "Domestic Drugs", I did not immediately agree. But when I did meet them, I realized that these handsome men who graduated from MGIMO think the same way as I do, worrying about the future of Russia. I gave them the exclusive license for "Phenotropil" along with the patents and set a condition: so that the company develops science, and so that the scientists they hire earn no less than their European colleagues. Everything was done. I also went to work at Domestic Medicines. In three years we have created a powerful department of science, and things have gone well. Recently, they began to explore foreign markets, in connection with which they registered a new company name — "Valenta".
Adrenaline and profitThe current financial and economic crisis was less sentimentally described by the director general of "Valenta", a hired Hungarian specialist Laszlo Sugar, who took over as head in September last year, when banks were already beginning to worry their borrowers about the repayment of loans.
"In order to avoid bankruptcy, we had to cut employees, build a new marketing policy, negotiate deferrals with creditors," Mr. Sugar explained the specifics of his management policy in correct Russian with a characteristic European accent. — It's hard, but this is Russia! Working here, I get adrenaline!"
In addition to adrenaline, the director of "Valenta" aims to make a long-term profit from the production and subsequent sale of original Russian drugs on the domestic and foreign markets. Based on this, he builds the company's strategy. "It was considered that the production of generics is not a promising model for conducting pharmaceutical business. It is quickly repayable, but does not lead to development," Mr. Sugar explained. — On the other hand, our turnover is small, only $ 100 million. We cannot afford to finance a full cycle of drug development, the cost of which, according to the most conservative estimates, is 500 million euros. But we keep at least five developers in sight who are ready to buy patents from."
According to the head, the choice of investment options for the company, which narrowly escaped bankruptcy, was small — to invest in production, marketing or in science. It was decided that at the initial stage, the last two points would be less costly and would bring greater returns. The same contest with the pretentious name "Light of knowledge in the name of human health", the organization of which cost the company about six million rubles, became at the same time part of both marketing and scientific strategy. "We are not fighting for such a one—day profit as a state order, it is not even in our plans, the maximum is ten percent of the turnover," Mr. Sugar admitted. — We are fighting on another front — for the support of talented young scientists, doctors, who in ten years will begin to set the tone in their field of medicine. The methodology is calculated from the point of view of business: giving scientists the opportunity to satisfy their scientific curiosity in the direction we set will eventually lead to the fact that through their own research these people will be convinced of the effectiveness of our drug in the treatment of diseases in which they specialize. Of course, you could just give five hundred rubles to a doctor in a polyclinic and ask him to prescribe Phenotropil to patients, but I can't put such momentary measures into a long-term strategy."
.. And after serious conversations about strategies and prospects, a banquet began, during which it seemed to me that Laszlo Sugar had not miscalculated: young medical scientists, who had rallied in a country boarding house, not spoiled by the attention of business, with a high degree of probability, and in ten years they would recommend drugs from the company "Valenta" to their patients. After all, a scientist doesn't need much for happiness.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru
15.09.2009