DR Yusuf Hamied
Dr. Yusuf Hamied is Chairman of Cipla Ltd, a socially conscious pharmaceutical company in Mumbai, India.
He is a Chemistry and Natural Sciences graduate (1957), and holds a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry, both from Cambridge University, where he studied under the late Nobel Laureate chemist, Professor Lord Todd.
Following his studies, Dr. Hamied joined Cipla as a Research Officer, going on to become Managing Director in 1976, and later Chairman in 1989. His focus on the production of indigenous basic raw materials for the creation of effective and affordable bulk drugs brought about a period of exponential growth in the company, and today Cipla manufactures and markets a wide range of medicines both for the local market and for export to 150 countries worldwide.
Dr. Hamied has played a key role in launching more than 30 important drugs in India, to fight diseases ranging from asthma and cancer to AIDS, as well as establishing the Cipla Palliative Care Centre in India, the Hamied Institute for Education and Research into Palliative Care and in 2009 the Yusuf Hamied Centre was opened at Christ's College, Cambridge. In the global fight against HIV and AIDS Cipla has been the first pharmaceutical company to offer the triple drug cocktail, Triomune, transforming the lives of HIV positive patients at a fraction of the international cost. In 2012, he was awarded the 'CNN-IBN Indian of the Year' in the category of business for "for taking on multinational pharma companies and making some of the essential drugs more affordable to the masses in the developing countries.”
Dr. Hamied has published a number of patents and research papers internationally, and received several honours, which include Lady Margaret Beaufort Fellow, Christ’s College, the V. Krishnamurthy Award for Excellence (2005), and Companion of the Guild of Cambridge Benefactors.
His critical role in the battle for mass antiretroviral treatment in Africa is portrayed in the award-winning documentary Fire in the Blood (2013 film).
