Cipla has appointed Dr Peter Mugyenyi as an independent director on the Board with immediate effect. Mugyenyi is the Director and Co-Founder of the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) based in Kampala. He is highly regarded globally for his leadership in helping Africa battle its mounting AIDS epidemic. A paediatrician by training, Mugyenyi is recognised as one of the worlds’ foremost specialists and researchers in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Announcing the appointment, Dr YK Hamied, Chairman, Cipla said, “It is a privilege for Cipla to have Mugyenyi as a member of Cipla’s board of directors. His presence would be most influential in the heart of the highest governing body of Cipla. I believe that as a world leader, Mugyenyi will be a source of inspiration for us, someone who can also guide us in our journey towards our vision of ‘None shall be denied’.”
Mugyenyi said, “I am proud to be part of Cipla’s contribution to humanity and would like to emphasise that innovation in the crucial area of human survival should not be entirely dependent on revenue generation. It should primarily aim at alleviating the human suffering and saving lives. This does not contradict fair trade, because business success and humanism are not incompatible.” He also added, “Establishing the earnest partnership between doctors and the pharma drug industry would help make critical life-saving drugs accessible to all in need.”
Mugyenyi is the author of Genocide by Denial: How Profiteering from HIV/AIDS Killed Millions. Published in 2008, a book that details the story of how Western Governments and drug companies callously oversaw the death of millions of Africans who were unable to afford their branded drugs. A follow-up of this book was published in 2013. Mugyenyi played a major consultative role in the formulation of the PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief) programme, which was announced in the 2003 State of the Union address by President George W Bush. PEPFAR has since put millions of Africans on lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment.
EP News Bureau– Mumbai