Pharma: Sky’s the Limit if You Have an ‘Entrepreneurial’ Mindset

MEDICINMANField Force Excellence
September 2016| www.medicinman.net
Indian Pharma’s First Digital Magazine Since 2011
TM
Editors Note: MedicinMan was launched 5 years ago,
in August 2011, as a resource for the pharma field force
to grow professionally, through self-directed learning
and development.
Over these 5 years we have featured articles from pro-
fessionals in all walks of pharma sales and marketing
- from Medical Rep to CEO; from Product Manager to
Medical Affairs Directors; from young professionals as
well as seniors.
In all our interactions one thing stands out loud and
clear - the biggest factor for success in the profession
is ‘mindset’. Those with a ‘growth’ mindset see oppor-
tunities where others see only problems. Instead of
complaining and spreading negativity, they take it on
themselves to learn new skills and acquire new knowl-
edge that keeps them ahead of the curve.
This is the ‘entrepreneur’s’ mindset, that we urge you,
our readers, to make every effort to acquire.
A
few months back, I posed a question on
Facebook:
“A question - And I am looking for an honest
answer! How many people in Indian Pharma, whether
at a junior level, middle management level or senior
level, would like their children to embrace the profes-
sion of pharma marketing/ selling?”
The response was revealing: 94% of respondents
said“No – I would not like my children to be in phar-
ma selling or marketing.”The respondents included
medical representatives, first-line and field sales
managers, as well as CEOs and Managing Directors.
Many, to be precise 23, responded privately on my
mail id as they did not want to reveal their identi-
ty. Interestingly, a great majority of the respondents
who said‘No’have come up in their careers from the
position of medical representatives.
Vivek Hattangadi
IN PHARMA SALES,
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
IF YOU HAVE AN
‘ENTREPRENEURIAL’
MINDSET
GUEST EDITORIAL

“
Vivek Hattangadi | In Pharma Sales, the Sky is the Limit if You Have an Entrepreneurial Mindset
2 | MedicinMan September 2016
I have been in pharma sales and marketing for over
40 years and have had a very fruitful career. I have
enjoyed and loved every day of it.
I have not encouraged my children to take up a
career in pharma sales and marketing but I would
certainly not have dissuaded them had they cho-
sen it themselves.
Why has pharma sales got a bad reputation?
I have often seen people blindly accepting a medi-
cal representative’s job and later realizing that they
were not cut out for it or, for that matter, any sales
job. It could be the experiences of such people that
might give you the wrong impression of the pro-
fession.
Why do so some pharma sales professionals find
their upward trajectories flattening into a plateau?
It is because they have not continually honed their
skills and have become irrelevant and obsolete.
They too spread negativity in the profession.
Many successful professionals have experienced
the ‘shop keeper’ like mindset of some entrepre-
neurs which makes them unenthusiastic about
the profession. Many such entrepreneurs hire out-
standing professionals but do not engage them
professionally. They do not give them a free hand
to operate. The entire‘strategic thinking’is done by
the entrepreneur himself. If results do not come,
the professionals are the easy scapegoats. This
leads to job dissatisfaction and a feeling of depres-
sion towards the profession.
Senior professionals have also seen many start-
ups closing shop within a few years of existence,
contributing to the downbeat feelings about the
profession.
Often, internal company politics have cut short
some brilliant careers of competent people.

Why do so some pharma sales
personnel find their upward
trajectories flattening into a
plateau? It is because they have
not continually honed their skills
and have become irrelevant and
obsolete. They too spread negativity
in the profession.

“
They too spread pessimism. But isn’t this true any-
where, in any industry including the armed forces
and in government jobs?!
The prevailing era of ‘transactional marketing’ has
also contributed a great deal to the unattractive-
ness of the profession.
Then there are the ‘Guardian Angels’ who advice
against a career in pharma marketing and sales.
Why? Because there is no job security! Is there job
security in e-commerce? Is there job security in IT?
Is there job security in the hospitality industry?
Job security is in your own hands. Immerse yourself
in your tasks and get intellectually engaged. Excel
by doing your job better than what you did yester-
day. Become better every day through new learn-
ing’s and applying these at the workplace.
Learning new skills is a perpetual exercise. This
will not only make your job secure in your cur-
rent organization, but competing companies and
headhunters will be after you with lucrative offers.
Develop a strong sense of self-accountability and
self-motivation to succeed wherever you are. Build
up an entrepreneurial mindset. That alone is your
job security.
Pharma Sales and Marketing - Develop-
ing an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Pharma sales is truly exciting. You can attain a high
level of achievement and accomplishment as you
and you alone are responsible for making things
happen. It is quite an adrenalin rush when you see
doctors prescribing your product and see the sales
increasing.
If you are like me and love challenges, then a
pharma sales career is just the right one for
you. I found the job as a medical representa-
tive full of fun and satisfaction. Every day was a
new adventure, trying to convert tough doctors.

Job security is in your own hands.
Immerse yourself in your tasks and
get intellectually engaged. Excel by
doingyourjobbetterthanwhatyou
did yesterday. Become better every
day through new learning’s and
applying these at the workplace.

“
And when I succeeded, I would go home
and tell my wife something like this: “Ah,
I have made another crying baby smile.
Doctor prescribed her Colimex Drops!”
I loved the thrill when doctors switched over from
a competing brand to my brand.
I still remember the date, 5th
August 1976, when Dr.
V. D. Rawal a key opinion leader of those days in my
territory changed over from Digene to Diovol after
over two years of struggle. I even sent a telegram
to the corporate office expecting a congratulatory
note – and Mr. P. C. Kapur, the then General Manag-
er of Carter-Wallace, did not disappoint me. That is
what made every day of my job so stimulating.
One of the best things about a career in pharma
sales is that your efforts have a direct impact on
your earnings. No one can limit your income but
yourself. On top of the salary, you have the poten-
tial to earn incentives and get paid holidays in at-
tractive destinations outside the country. The high
earners in sales are the ones that work hard, work
smart, build lasting relationships and gain valuable
experience that can be used to command a high
paying salary.
This is one industry where a medical representa-
tive today can become a General Manager, a Vice
President, or a CEO tomorrow.Then there are many
successful medical representatives and pharma
sales and marketing personnel who have diversi-
fied successfully into pharma-related academics,
information technology, advertising, consultancy,
and have become executive coaches in other in-
dustries.

One of the best things about a
career in pharma sales is that your
efforts have a direct impact on your
earnings. No one can limit your
income – but yourself... The high
earners in sales are the ones that
work hard, work smart, build lasting
relationships and gain valuable
experience that can be used to
command a high paying salary.

5 | MedicinMan September
Pharma sales and marketing is not really unat-
tractive, as is made out to be. Pharma sales can
become a popular career choice for job-seek-
ers. It offers excellent potential - in career
growth, income, and many other benefits.
It is a‘recession-free’industry. The population is in-
creasing and so is longevity of life. The unhealthy
life style of youngsters is here to stay.
Not only is the pharma industry a large, stable, and
growing business in India, but possibly the entire
world. Surely, there is a dearth of talent which can
be filled up by the bright and dynamic youngsters
of this generation. M
 Vivek Hattangadi | In Pharma Sales, the Sky is the Limit if You Have an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Vivek Hattangadi is a
Consultant in Pharma
Brand Management and
Sales Training at The En-
ablers. He is also visiting
faculty at CIPM Calcutta
(Vidyasagar University)
for their MBA course in
Pharmaceutical Management.
vivekhattangadi@theenablers.org
“
Not only is the pharma industry a
large, stable, and growing business
in India, but possibly the entire
world. Surely, there is a dearth of
talent which can be filled up by the
bright and dynamic youngsters of
this generation.

NATIONAL SEMINAR ON UCPMP:
“BUILDING BRANDS - BUILDING A FUTURE”
KEYNOTE ADDRESS SPEAKERS
Shri. Sudhansh Pant, IAS
Joint Secretary, Dept. of Pharmaceuticals,
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, GoI
Dr. Ganesh Nayak
Exec. Director and CEO,
Zydus Cadila
Samir Rai
National Sales Manager,
Meyer Organics
Dr. H. N. Ravindra
Executive Committee Member,
Indian Medical Council, Delhi
Anup Soans
Editor - MedicinMan

CONTENTS
Our mission is the collective improvement of the
pharma sales and marketing ecosystem - leading
to better relationships with doctors and better out-
comes for patients.
MedicinMan Volume 6 Issue 9 | September 2016
Editor and Publisher
Anup Soans
Chief Mentor
K. Hariram
Editorial Board
Salil Kallianpur; Prof. Vivek Hattangadi; Shashin
Bodawala; Hanno Wolfram; Renie McClay
Executive Editor
Joshua Soans
Letters to the Editor: anupsoans@medicinman.net
1. Guest Editorial: In Pharma Sales, The Sky
is the Limit if You Have an ‘Entrepreneurial’
Mindset ..............................................................1
The biggest factor for success in the profession
is ‘mindset’. Those with a ‘growth’ mindset see
opportunities where others see only problems.
Vivek Hattangadi
2. Rural Marketing: Challenges and
Opportunities for Indian Pharma ....................9
A very unique set of challenges but an ocean of
untapped opportunity, make rural markets an
exciting place for resourceful pharma marketers.
Chandan Kumar
3. Book Review: The Three Box Solution by Vijay
Govindarajan.....................................................16
International strategy guru Vijay Govindarajan on
how to effectively manage the present without losing
sight of the future.
Reviewed by K. Hariram
4. #Finding60InIndia: the Campaign to Raise
ProgeriaAwarenessinIndia.............................19
How an integrated media campaign helped identify
children living with Progeria in India - a disease that
affects 1 in 20 million people.
Preeti Mohile
5. Properties of a Highly Effective Leader:
LearningfromPharmacology..........................24
What the properties of chemical substances can
teach us about effective leadership.
Mrudul Kansara
Connect with Anup on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Anup Soans is an L&D Facilitator,
Author, Pharma Consultant.
Visit: anupsoans.com
Meet the Editor

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T
he Indian pharma market is growing at rapid
pace compared to pharma markets in other
parts of the world. Major cities and Tier II and
III cities account for approximately 60 percent of the
total sales volume and revenue.
As pharma marketers we can’t ignore the rural mar-
kets, be it prescription or OTC products. However,
though there is a huge potential in the rural market it
remains largely untapped because it has a completely
unique set of challenges.
CHALLENGES
There are many pharma companies operating in the
rural market, but their approach or the understanding
of the market is often misguided; they might be hap-
py with their efforts, but it would not have resulted in
much success. I will be discussing the core challenges
of pharma marketing in a rural setting.

RURAL MARKETING:
CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
INDIAN PHARMA
A very unique set of challenges but an ocean of
untapped opportunity, make rural markets an
exciting place for resourceful pharma marketers.
Chandan Kumar

“1. Undefined Distribution Ecosystem
Companies’ biggest challenge in rural market is
the supply chain mechanism as Pharma faces a
deficit of financially sound wholesalers in rural ar-
eas, which makes distribution work a painstaking
task. Stocks are distributed via wholesalers from
the main cities, and because of unavailability of
pharmacies near clinics, doctors often have to dis-
pense the prescriptions themselves. Due to such
an undefined ecosystem, both the distribution of
stocks and the collection of payments becomes a
challenge for companies.
2. Poor Accessibility
Another major road block Pharma companies face
is the distance and poor infrastructure. In order to
achieve operational effectiveness and coverage,
Medical Reps have to travel extensively from the
Hub city to cover 10-12 doctors and a handful of
retailers. In addition, Reps have to carry sales stock
to far-flung places to ensure the availability of
the products. These mammoth efforts sometimes
don’t fetch the desired returns. Local medications
and quacks are other impediments to penetrating
the rural market.
3. Purchasing Power of Patients
High cost of the medicine leads to the purchase
of partial doses, a shift to cheaper substitutes, or
to delay in treatment. Because of inability to buy
all the medicines due to cost, people ask for part
prescriptions as well. Low-income populations face
difficulty in purchasing the required doses of med-
ication.

Companies’ biggest challenge in
rural market is the supply chain
mechanismasPharmafacesadeficit
of financially sound wholesalers in
ruralareas,whichmakesdistribution
work a painstaking task... Due to
such an undefined ecosystem, both
the distribution of stocks and the
collection of payments becomes a
challenge for companies.
Chandan Kumar | Rural Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Pharma

4. Counterfeiting and Knockoffs
Counterfeit drugs comprise a considerable mar-
ket share in rural markets, and pose the biggest
challenge for pharma companies. There are a lot
of counterfeit medicines which are available in the
name of popular brands, such asVoveran, Betadine,
Crocin, and Cosavil. There are more than hundred
brands for each off-patented drug and it is difficult
for regulating authorities to detect the knockoffs
and counterfeits.
Moreover, lack of proper lab facilities near rural
areas, inadequate number of drug inspectors, am-
biguous regulations, procurement of unauthentic
drugs by chemists, and lack of awareness among
patients are the factors that lead to rise of fake
drugs in rural markets.
SOLUTIONS
In spite of the many challenges, pharma compa-
nies need to pay more attention to rural markets
and should equip themselves with solutions to the
above challenges.
1. Piggybacking
Designing a distribution network can be very criti-
cal for a first-time entrant to the rural market. Com-
panies venturing into rural markets should not at-
tempt to develop own distribution networks right
fromthestart;instead,tokeepexpensesdown,com-
panies should use a‘piggyback’distribution model.
 Chandan Kumar | Rural Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Pharma

“The‘piggyback’model suggests utilizing the distri-
bution network of those companies that have dif-
ferent product offerings and a good reach in specif-
ic areas. Piggybacking is a non-equity arrangement
where one‘rider’(a Pharma company) utilizes a‘car-
rier’ (e.g., an FMCG company) distribution channel
and get its product distributed.
2. Reach enhancement
In order to have a good reach in any market, be it
rural or urban, doctors are key as they are the pre-
scribers. Conventionally, companies hire a sales
force to promote their brands to doctors. Employ-
ing such a strategy for rural markets is ‘high-risk’
and it would be exorbitantly expensive with re-
spect to the potential returns. Some companies
have formulated new approaches for reaching out
to doctors in the rural landscape:
• Holding workshops or special camps: e.g., No-
vartis India Ltd employs ‘health advisers’ who
go to rural areas and set up health camps,
where the doctors prescribe their medicines.
• Outsourcing the field operations: e.g., Dr Red-
dy’s Laboratories Ltd has a contracted field
force for the rural market.
There can be many more ways to reach out the ru-
ral space in addition to the current conventional
methods - pharma companies just need to explore
and test them.
3. Low-cost branded generics
Another key aspect is to keep the cost of medicines
affordable for rural areas. Some companies have
created a separate business units for rural markets.
These units promote medicines that are com-
monly prescribed by doctors in these markets.

Conventionally, companies hire a
sales force to promote their brands
to doctors. As rural markets may
not fetch the desired results and it
would be exorbitantly expensive
with respect to the potential
returns, to achieve the results
certain companies have formulated
new approaches for reaching out to
doctors
Chandan Kumar | Rural Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Pharma

They are creating brands and marketing strate-
gies specifically for rural markets; moreover, their
pricing parameters are also cheaper compared to
urban markets. Pharma companies need to un-
derstand that for a lower-income population they
should employ a different approach to encourage
consumption. Promoting unique dosing methods
or OD doses has enhanced not only patient com-
pliance in rural markets but also affordability and
accessibility. This low-cost strategy becomes man-
datory for companies entering the rural market in
order to remain competitive with respect to un-
branded generics.
4. Anti-counterfeiting
Though counterfeiting is a challenge everywhere,
the worst hit are the rural markets as there is no
proper enforcement of regulations. There are some
companies that possess expertise in anti-counter-
feiting measures for pharma products. Counterfeits
in this industry come out with better packaging
than the original brand due to the high margins in-
volved in medicines - hence, innovative ways such
as unique ID that can be traced and matched with
the manufacturing batch number are easy ways for
the consumers to know that the medicine is real. In
addition to that, some companies capture the de-
tails of the patient when they make the verification
call. Adoption of anti-counterfeiting technology
will ensure the right medication to patients and
also companies can keep track of their real-time
sales.

Conclusion
The concept of rural markets in India is still in a pri-
mary stage and this market poses wide range of
challenges, such as understanding the dynamics,
strategies to supply, and compliance with the ru-
ral consumers. The exploration of the rural market
depends on effective implementation of the strat-
egy; hence, companies need to think beyond the
short-term gains and resort to experimentation so
as to develop a dedicated model for these areas.
This will ensure fruitful return and long-term asso-
ciation with rural consumers. The Rural Market in
India is a sleeping giant—we need to realize its true
potential! M
Chandan Kumar is working in
healthcare publishing as an Ac-
quisitions Editor. His area of In-
terest is Healthcare Marketing &
Value Innovation.
ckumar21@in.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/pharmtech
@pharmacrat

FFE + CEO ROUNDTABLE
AND BRANDSTORM 2017
will be held in Mumbai in the month of February 2017.
More details to follow.
Field Force Excellence conference + CEO Roundtable is
targeted at senior industry professionals in all functions.
The CEO Roundtable is the highlight of the event and fea-
tures some of pharma’s most well-known leaders.
Past topics include:
• Practical Issues in Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) imple-
mentation
• Role Clarity from Front-line Manager to National Sales
Manager
• Role of Technology as a Field Force Multiplier
• Social Learning for the Field Force
• Data Analytics: Actionable Insights for Segmented Mar-
keting
• Role of Marketing, Medical, HR and L&D in Building the
Rx Capabilities of the Field Force
• Navigating UCPMP, MCI Guidelines and other regulato-
ry issues
• Reinvention of Doctor-Field Force interaction through
Digital and Social
Past Speakers include:
• Sanjiv Navangul – Managing Director, Janssen India
• K. Shivkumar – Managing Director, Eisai
• Sujay Shetty – Partner, PwC India
• CT Renganathan – Managing Director, RPG LifeScienc-
es
• YS Prabhakar – CEO, Sutures India
• Ali Sleiman – General Manager India, Merck Serono
• Darshan Patel – Partner, PwC
• Vikas Dandekar – Editor Pharma, ET
• Shakti Chakraborty – Group President, Lupin
• Ganesh Nayak – (fmr) CEO and Executive Director,
Zydus Cadila
• Bhaskar Iyer – Divn VP, India Commercial Operations,
Abbott
• Narayan Gad – CEO, Panacea Biotec
• Girdhar Balwani – Managing Director, Invida
• K. Hariram - Managing Director (retd.) Galderma India
BrandStorm is the annual MedicinMan event for Brand
Managers. The event features thought leaders in pharma
brand management addressing the hottest topics of the
day.
Past topics include:
• UCPMP & MCI Guidelines – Implication for Pharma
Marketing
• Brand Building: Case Studies from the Indian Pharma
Market
• Unleashing the Power of Digital Marketing – Case
Studies
• From Brand Management to Therapy Shaping
• Marketing to Hospitals
• Case Study: Zifi-AZ
• Field Force – Doctor Interaction through use of Digi-
tal and Social Media
• How to Optimize Healthcare Communication Cre-
ative Agency Services
Past Speakers include:
• PV Sankar Dass – CEO & Director, CURATIO
• Darshan Patel – Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
• Daleep Manhas – General Manager & Associate Vice
President at McCann Health
• Praful Akali – Founder-Director, Medulla Communi-
cations
• Pankaj Dikholkar – General Manager, Abbott
• Salil Kallianpur – Brand Director, Europe, GSK
• Deep Bhandari – Director-Marketing & Sales Excel-
lence, UCB
• Shiva Natarajan – General Manager, GSK
• Shashank Shanbag – Business Unit Director, MS
• Nandish Kumar – DGM and Head – Marketing, FD
• Dr. VK Sharma, AVP at Unichem Labs
To partner at the event contact:
anupsoans@gmail.com | +91-968-680-2244

A
Structure for Leading Innova-
tion
It’s a perennial problem for business:
should I focus on today’s results or should I fo-
cus on building the future. Is my current success
helping me to lay the foundation for the future?
What happens if the world or environment
changes?
What happened to Kodak films and Nokia mo-
bile phones is instructive. Each was uncrowned
in its own segment and, lo and behold, one fine
morning, was threatened with bankruptcy. Yes,
they were successful in the ‘present’ but they
least realised that they were digging their own
grave in the future.
In effect, “is today’s success a guarantee for to-
morrow’s success, too?” Not necessarily; and
what you are doing today may have even less
relevance tomorrow than you might think.

International strategy guru Vijay
Govindarajan on how to effectively
manage the present without losing sight of
the future.
BOOK REVIEW
K. Hariram

Reviewed by K. Hariram | Book Review: The Three Box Solution by Vijay Govindarajan
From Linear to Non-Linear
Foresight is always 80/80 as compared to hindsight
which is 20/20, especially in strategy and innova-
tion.
It is easy to get caught up with current needs and
day-to-day survival, allocating attention and re-
sources. The question is about how to allocate
attention and resources to maintain the present
while building the future - something that is far
from obvious.
Along comes Vijay Govindarajan, a professor at
Tuck School of Business with a number of best-sell-
ers on strategy and innovation to his name. In his
new book, The Three-Box Solution, Govindarajan
offers a framework and a structure, based on three
boxes, that is both methodology and mindset for
attacking the dual and often conflicting imper-
atives of succeeding today and preparing to suc-
ceed tomorrow:
Box 1, is about managing the present — imple-
menting the strategies, tactics and approaches re-
quired to operate at“full efficiency.”
Box 2 is about forgetting the past — moving
away from current businesses and dropping off of
practices and assumptions that are becoming ob-
solete.
Box 3 is about creating the future — developing
new disruptive business models to ensure long-
term success.
Organisations must pay attention to all three boxes
at once and, according to Govindarajan, this calls
for both linear and non-linear innovation. Linear in-
novation is extrapolated from a company’s current
activities. Non-linear innovation does not build on
current activities but, instead, targets new and old
customers with new business models and prod-
ucts. Linear innovation is vital for success in Box 1;
non-linear innovation is at the heart of Box 3.

“
Linear innovation is extrapolated
from a company’s current activities.
Non-linear innovation doesn’t build
on current activities but, instead,
targets new and old customers with
new business models and products.

Reviewed by K. Hariram | Book Review: The Three Box Solution by Vijay Govindarajan
The real challenge is Box 2, because it holds the
key to the entire framework. In order to move from
present to future, Govindarajan explains, you have
to deal with the past. Toy and game maker Hasbro
offers one example of how the Three-Box Solution
works. In today’s world of ecommerce and digital
revolution this becomes very relevant.
Govindarajan uses in-depth case studies from a
variety of industries to explain the principles and
behaviours needed for each box. Practical, rele-
vant and comprehensive, The Three-Box Solution
is another important contribution to strategy and
innovation from one of the most creative thought
leaders in the field.
Peter Drucker in his book, Managing For Results had
clearly emphasized in the chapter titled, “Business
Realities” that there are 3 dimensions to the eco-
nomic task in any organisation. They are:
1. The present business must be made effective
2. Potential must be‘identified’and‘realised’
3. It must evolve into a different business for a
different FUTURE
To some extent, Govindarajan’s framework is a
modernized version of the same thinking and
probably adds relevance in today’s context.
Worth a read with some good take home messag-
es. M

“
Practical, relevant and
comprehensive, The Three-Box
Solution is another important
contribution to strategy and
innovation from one of the most
creative thought leaders in the field.
K. Hariram is the former
MD (retd.) at Galderma
India.
He is Chief Mentor at
MedicinMan and a regular
contributor. khariram25@
yahoo.com

P
rogeria or Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria
Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare and fatal ge-
netic condition characterised by the ap-
pearance of rapid aging in children. These kids
start to look like 60-year olds at the tender age
of 8 to 10 years. A small genetic mutation in their
DNA causes Progeria which occurs in about 1 in
20 million people. Sadly, children with Progeria
commonly die of atherosclerosis and stroke at an
average age of 14 years. During their living years,
they suffer from aging disorders like arthritis and
diabetes, greatly hampering their quality of life.
Intellectually however, they are normal, like any
other child, causing significant agony to them-
selves and their families.

How an integrated media campaign helped
identify children living with Progeria in India
- a disease that affects 1 in 20 million people.
#Finding60InIndia:
the Campaign to Raise
Progeria Awareness in
India
Preeti Mohile

Preeti Mohile | #Finding60InIndia: the Campaign to Raise Progeria Awareness in India
Due to the rarity of this disorder, not many parents
know where to seek medical help and the inces-
sant stares of strangers, often leads them to con-
fine the child inside their homes.
A silver lining is the Progeria Research Foundation,
founded by Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns
after their own son, Sam, was diagnosed with Pro-
geria. The Foundation has recognised the need
for research on Progeria and provides parents and
doctors with information, including information on
the available medical treatment.
In 2011, only 58 cases of Progeria had been detect-
ed globally. With the help of the GLOBALHealthPR
partners, Progeria Research Foundation launched
the campaign #FindTheOther150, as statistics
suggested that those many unidentified cases
existed around the world. With these efforts, cur-
rently 131 children living with Progeria have been
identified all over the world.
Progeria in India
Statistics suggested that in India, for a population
of 1.2 billion, there are 60 kids with Progeria. The
objective was to identify them so that they could
be flown to the US-based Progeria Research Foun-
dation, and treated in Boston. However, with a
population of 1.2 billion people, speaking different
languages and dialects, reaching out and search-
ing for kids with Progeria was as good as finding a
needle in a haystack.
#Finding60inIndia
With an urgent need to the spread the mes-
sage and awareness about Progeria, MediaMed-
ic decided to launch an integrated campaign -
#Finding60InIndia - in 2 different stages.

“
In 2011, only 58 cases of Progeria
had been detected globally. With
the help of the GLOBALHealthPR
partners, Progeria Research
Foundation launched the campaign
#FindTheOther150, as statistics
suggested that those many
unidentified cases existed around
the world.

The first step was to reach the smallest of towns
with the help of mass media PR and the second
step involved the use of social, digital media and
below-the-line activities. PR helped us reach the
tier 2 and 3 cities and smaller towns in the local
languages, while Social Media activities helped us
reach the metro and tier 1 cities.
PR activities that led to identifying kids
in tier 2 and 3 cities
30 plus major cities were targeted in 2 phases and
the communication in both these phases empha-
sized #Finding60InIndia, highlighting the appear-
ance of these children so that people could identify
them. Nihal Bitla was the first kid who was identi-
fied from Mumbai and he was flown to Boston.
Nihal then became the Brand ambassador and the
face of this campaign, which helped the campaign
further.
Website, Radio Campaign and Docu-
mentary
Post phase 1 of the campaign, it moved to the dig-
ital phase and the first step was to create a web-
site for #Finding60InIndia that served as a landing
page and encouraged people to pledge support
for the cause. A documentary was shot, showcas-
ing Nihal’s life, because audio-visual story-telling
connects better than any other media.
Watch the documentary here: https://www.you-
tube.com/watch?v=JxWo4k5iJpU
Radio Mirchi took up the good cause and helped
spread awareness. RJ Jeeturaj ran a campaign in
Mumbai for 10 days spreading awareness with Ni-
hal on Live Radio. He got Nihal to share his expe-
riences and feelings about of living with Progeria.
 Preeti Mohile | #Finding60InIndia: the Campaign to Raise Progeria Awareness in India

This served as an opportunity for listeners to con-
nect emotionally with Nihal and his parents and to
educate themselves on the condition. The docu-
mentary gave a renewed opportunity to reach out
to journalists and hence successful PR followed this
hugely successful documentary.
Social Media Activities and Team Nihal
The last leg of the PR campaign started off with
Social Media activities and a Facebook and Twit-
ter campaign called ‘Team Nihal’. The intention of
starting a Facebook page was to create awareness
and to reach out to a maximum number of users in
India. Team Nihal’s efforts were not only to show-
case Nihal’s life and his desires but also to publicize
Progeria and its difficulties so that people would
empathize with the stigma the patients and par-
ents feel.
When Nihal expressed his desire to meet Aamir
Khan, his favourite actor, Aamir came out publicly
on social media and accepted. Nihal visited Aamir’s
home and told him about his aspiration of finding
the other 60 kids with Progeria in India. Immediate-
ly following this coverage, the term‘Progeria’start-
ed to trend on Google search in India.
 Preeti Mohile | #Finding60InIndia: the Campaign to Raise Progeria Awareness in India

The Sweet Fruits of Our Labor
Today there are 12 identified cases of Progeria in
India, a condition that was unheard of in the coun-
try before.
The whole campaign helped us reach about 180
million people through PR and over 20 million peo-
ple through Social Media and other digital initia-
tives. The campaign initiated advocacy for Progeria
and rare diseases and the Government formed a
panel on rare diseases which will look at develop-
ing a policy to tackle rare disease as well as devel-
op and update a list of guiding principles and best
practices.
Our Standpoint On the Campaign
Rare diseases like Progeria need as much aware-
ness and research as any other disease like diabe-
tes or cancer. There are over 7 million patients of
various rare diseases and awareness is needed so
people can empathize with them and these chil-
dren can lead a normal life. Accepting them as nor-
mal kids, showering them with love and providing
them with hope should be the way, so that their
already shortened life is filled with quality and long
hours of happiness and sunshine.
This campaign won 2 awards, the CMO Asia Gold
award and the Gold SABRE South Asia Award, 2016 in
the not-for-Profit category. M

PritiMohileistheCo-found-
er & Managing Director of
MediaMedic Communica-
tions – a healthcare com-
munications firm that offers
integrated communications.
Preeti Mohile | #Finding60InIndia: the Campaign to Raise Progeria Awareness in India

R
eading is one of the best ways of learning. Each
time you read a particular book you are likely to
learn something new.
Having studied pharmacy for 7 years, and getting a Di-
ploma, Bachelors and Masters, I had to refer to many
subjects repeatedly. To add to this, my work involves
training newly recruited MRs for cardiac products and
conducting online sessions as a part of the HRD MAR-
KETING team in Troikaa Pharmaceuticals – which re-
quired me to refer those subjects again.
Integrating two different fields – pharmacology and
training – can sometimes lead to the development of
new concepts and learnings. With this in mind, I would
like to share my learning about effective leadership
traits by drawing on certain analogies from Pharma-
cology.
In order to make it simple and easy to understand, I
have kept technical terms to a minimum.

PROPERTIES OF A
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
LEADER:
LEARNING FROM
PHARMACOLOGY
What the properties of chemical substances can
teach us about effective leadership.
Abhishek Dhama
Mrudul Kansara

Leader as a CATALYST
A Catalyst or Enzyme is a substance that increases
or potentiates the rate of a chemical reaction. For
example, Protease is an enzyme in our body which
is responsible for digestion of the proteins in our
diet. Protease acts as a facilitator which potentiates
digestion of proteins. Even if proteins are physical-
ly present in our body, they can only be absorbed
and utilized if the catalyst (Protease) responsible
for its digestion is present in our body.
An effective leader should have similar characteris-
tics. A leader should act as a catalyst for improving
or potentiating the efficiency of team members. A
leader should facilitate the environment required
to bring out the best performance from each team
member. A leader with catalytic properties will be
able to accomplish the tasks given before dead-
lines, will be able to provide work-life balance to
his team and ultimately will create a win-win-win
situation for him, the team as well as for the orga-
nization.
A good example of an effective leader with cata-
lytic properties is Mahatma Gandhi, the father of
our nation, who acted as a catalyst for all Indians
to fight for freedom, and brought together the en-
tire country which ultimately earned India freedom
from British rule.
Leader as an AGONIST and not ANTAG-
ONIST
An agonist means any substance (drug) which has
both affinity (ability to bind to a site) and intrinsic
activity (ability to produce therapeutic response).
Example – Tramadol (Zyrotram P Rapid) is an ag-
onist. It binds with opioid receptors (affinity) and
provides pain relief (intrinsic activity).
 Mrudul Kansara | Properties of a Highly Effective Leader: Learning from Pharmacology
“
A leader with catalytic properties
will be able to accomplish the tasks
given before the deadline, will be
able to provide work-life balance to
his team and ultimately will create a
win-win-win situation for him, his
team as well as for the organization.

An antagonist is any substance which has only
affinity but no intrinsic activity. Example – Telmis-
artan (Telmikaa) is an antagonist. It binds with a
receptor and blocks it and does not allow other
substances to bind with that receptor.
It is evident that an effective leader should be an
agonist and not an antagonist. An agonistic leader
is one who has not only developed strong bonding
among team members but also favors and facili-
tates the growth and development of team mem-
bers. An agonistic leader gives the team credit for
their successes.
On the other hand, an antagonistic leader blocks
the growth and success of his sub-ordinates. An
antagonistic leader takes full credit for success
and does not allow anyone to grow. He is always
insecure about his position and ends up losing the
trust and support of his team members.
True Leaders exhibit SYNERGY
Synergy/Synergistic action is when two drugs used
in combination, exhibit better therapeutic effects
than if used individually. For example, Dynapar
tablet (Diclofenac + Paracetamol) exhibits better
therapeutic effect than the individual drugs.
A true leader should be synergistic with team
members. Leaders should always try to add val-
ue to sub-ordinates’ work, guide them to perform
better, encourage them to learn new things and
constantly work to improve on their strengths and
weaknesses. In a nut shell, when a leader joins his
team, it should result in more productive work
rather than fault-finding and blame games.

“
... an effective leader should be an
agonist and not an antagonist. An
agonistic leader is the one who has
not only developed strong bonding
among team members but also
favors and facilitates the growth
and development of his team
members. An agonistic leader gives
his team credit for their successes.
Mrudul Kansara | Properties of a Highly Effective Leader: Learning from Pharmacology

Leader as an ABSORBENT
An absorbent is a substance which has the ability
to soak up liquid.
An effective leader is a cushion between superiors
and sub-ordinates, who absorbs the extra pressure
or extra work load and acts as a soothing agent
who streamlines tasks and does not make the team
feel the heat of extra work load or pressure. An ab-
sorbent leader also acts the other way, calming and
inspiring sub-ordinates to work with dedication in
case of any dissatisfaction among team members.
A leader acts as a bridge between the organization
and sub-ordinates, constantly working for the wel-
fare of the team and organization.
Allow me share with you an example from my own
life. During my two years and one month experi-
ence in pharma sales, I worked under two bosses.
My first boss might not have been very good with
his medical knowledge, but he was very empathet-
ic and was a good ‘absorbent’. I was always treat-
ed as an important member of his team. I never
felt sales pressure and my job was full of joy and
achieving targets became a habit.
Exactly opposite to his predecessor, my second
boss was technically sound but had a very low
emotional quotient. He would get upset with us
when the task was not achieved, blamed team
members for failures, and had only one technique
for achieving things – putting pressure.The second
boss did not understand this important trait of a
leader. The team’s performance started deteriorat-
ing and gradually team started breaking up.

“An effective leader is a cushion
between superiors and sub-
ordinates, who absorbs the extra
pressureor extrawork loadand acts
as a soothing agent who streamlines
the tasks and does not allow the
team to feel the heat of extra work
load or pressure.

A COMPATIBLE Leader
Compatibility is when two drugs, given in combi-
nation, are able to produce beneficial effects with-
out any unwanted reactions or problems. When
two incompatible drugs are combined, they either
damage the formulation or produce unwanted
side-effects.
A good leader is the one who is compatible with
his team members. Compatibility in this context
can be related with managers having sympathy,
empathy, harmony, rapport, togetherness, agree-
ment etc. It cannot get any better, than when team
members have a feeling that their leader is one
among them and not an outsider. Imagine a situa-
tion where leader and subordinates are incompati-
ble with each other. It will either break the team or
it will become a liability for the organization, end-
ing up in lose-lose situation.
To illustrate this property, I would like to share one
more personal experience. In college, I was the cap-
tain of our cricket team. During diploma studies, we
turned out to be the champions of our college. Lat-
er on few of my cricket team mates including me
joined the same college for graduation and again
wanted to make our mark in cricket. However only
six team members from our previous team joined
that college. So we thought of adding five other
good players from our new class to make a strong
team, ignoring our diploma class mates who also
joined the college, but were not a part of our earli-
er team. They were reasonable cricket players and
shared a better bonding with us.
This led to them forming a team of their own and
that new team defeated us consecutively for three
years. It was only after few years that I realized that
the old and new players of our team, myself includ-
ed, were not compatible with each other. We were
better players on paper but our compatibility and
team bonding were not comparable to our oppo-
nents.
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes
from PASSION, not POSITION.”– JOHN MAXWELL M

Mrudul Kansara is Asst. Man-
ager, HRD - Marketing at Troikaa
Pharmaceuticals Limited.

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