Battling monopoly and batting for the indigenous industry, YK Hamied scripts the drug-maker’s journey as challenges loom “ The best is yet to come .” That was the message from Cipla doyen Yusuf K Hamied in his townhall address to employees across the world, to mark the company’s 80th anniversary. Cipla has entered a dynamic phase in its growth, he said, outlining “six pillars” for the future — plants, products, partnerships, plans, passion and people. And this growth would also see the next generation of the Hamied family, with Samina Vaziralli (his niece) taking a hand to preserving the essence of the company. For those following the company’s journey, Cipla’s “best” may have been in 2001, whenit rocked the pharma world by offering the HIV/AIDS three-in-one drug Triomune at less than a dollar a day, breaking the stranglehold of Big Pharma in South Africa. The combined international price of these drugs then was $12,000 per patient per year. In fact, some health advo...