Born and raised in Kashmir,in Northern part of India,Anil has fond memories of his homeland which he had to leave tragically in early 1990. He was born in Kashmiri Pandit family in Srinagar. His mother was a teacher by profession and as such Anil’s childhood felt heavy emphasis of purposeful education and self-reliance that helped him build a scientific careerwith higher education and a Doctorate degree from institutes like Max Planck Institute in Munich Germany and Delhi University, Delhi. In spite of building a successful career in pharmaceutical research, hislonging for Kashmir, his native place, has never ebbed.
Excerpts from an interaction with Anil Koul
Q: First of all, why are new medicines so important in the area of TB?
A: New medicines for TB are extremely important. TB claimed more lives in history than any other infectious disease – and it still does: about 2 million people die from it, every year. One person every 17 seconds.The challenge is the drug-resistant TB which kills almost 30-40% of infected individuals in spite of challenging treatment. On top of that, we have extreme resistant forms of TB (XDR-TB) which is really lethal disease with mortality rates as high as 70% and very limited treatment options available now.
What’s so unique/novel about this new product?
Bedaquline is the first new drug to be approved for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in last 40 years…..really a significant milestone for millions of patients. This product is a shining example of what we do every day, what we stand for and our commitments towards millions of patients across the whole world!
How important of a breakthrough is this treatment, can you give us scale to the number of patients in need of this type of treatment?
About 1.5 million people die of TB each year and as we speak in last 10 minutes, 10 people may have already died due to this disease. It is such a shame, that in spite of all the technological advancements of 21st century, so many people are still dying of tuberculosis!
When you look back on your career where does working on this product sit on your bucket list of making a difference in patients lives?
I was born in Northern part of India, in a small town called Kashmir. Considering the epidemic of TB in India, where TB is one of the largest killer disease; look what bedaquiline can do to help the millions of people suffering from tuberculosis out there… it really brings in lots of satisfaction and a feeling that goes beyond everything else! A pure bliss!
What does it feel like to know that this work saves/ improves lives?
You cannot imagine, I cannot imagine … Isn’t this the ultimate lifetime’s achievement? what motivates me every day that I come to work – being part of a team that is developing a drug with such potential.
What was the key innovation in developing this product?
Bedaquiline changed the scientific landscape and our thinking in “antibiotic research”….right from identification of ATP synthase as the target as well as the “bold” clinical development path! Some of these innovations are well documented in papers we published in big impact journals like Science, Nature and NEJM.
In bringing this product to market, what have you learned about the process of innovation in healthcare?
For me the biggest learning’s from this project is that – “No dream is too big and no dreamer is too small”! We know that most project in pharmaceutical research, at one time or other, have their own set of challenges but the key is the “constant push” and “lots of perseverance”.
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