E-drug: World's first nonprofit drug company launched (cont'd)
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Dear E-druggers,
We wish this first nonprofit drug company all success. But for the
record, there are some precedents of brick and mortar, non-profit
drug companies, as contrasted to the virtual.
Some I know: LOCOST (Low Cost Standard Therapeutics) has been
a drug company (registered as a not-for-profit trust) manufacturing
drugs and supplying to those working with the poor for the last 20
years. LOCOST is located at Baroda (Vadodara), 400 kms north of
Mumbai, India. You may like to visit the website at
www.locostindia.com.
There is also a similar venture at Chennai, Southern India, called
Comprehensive Medical Services India (CMSI). Started by a network
of churches called the Inter-Church Service Agency (ICSA). In
existence for the last 10 years. Another "company" is the Bangarpet
Tablet Industry run by the Methodist Church since 1919 near
Bangalore, India. It used to do very well until the late 1980s I do not
have the latest information. Also Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceuticals
(GPL), Bangladesh, pioneered by the redoubtable Dr Zafarullah
Chowdhury and team, is similar in spirit. Has been in existence since
1982 GPL has also been making bulk drugs and drug intermediates
since 1991.
There may be others that I do not know of. Certainly there are a
couple of homeopathic medicine companies which were non-profit --
but I suppose these do not count in the allopathic ("modern, scientific"
medicine) hegemonic scheme of things.
S. Srinivasan
Managing Trustee, LOCOST, Baroda, India
e-mail: sahajbrc@icenet.net
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