Sugar! The word itself brings a feeling of pleasure with itself and reminds us of the irresistible taste it carries. Sugar has become an intrinsic part of our lives, from daily consumed beverages to festive delicacies, it is everywhere in the kitchen. But Sugar comes with its own baggage which may not be as pleasant as the sweetness it has. Recently consumers have become fully aware of the long-term effects of sugar consumption. Over the years a wide variety of sugar substitutes have been developed and promoted by companies that tried to imitate the positive effects of sugar but reducing the unwanted effects. These sugar alternatives were either derived from artificial or natural sources. The artificial ones are made with chemicals, are inconvenient to use but have their own side effects which are more harmful. The natural options are either give a different taste or a bitter after taste.
We at Maypharm worked on a research-based solution to resolve this issue and after a careful analysis of the available sugar substitutes in the market, crafted a formulation containing Erythritol and Stevia. The product developed by us is natural, tastes exactly like sugar (no after taste) and has zero calories.
We have chosen the ingredients very carefully and made sure that they are of the highest quality. All the ingredients and the finished products are manufactured as per strict cGMP norms and are sourced from manufacturers having proved track record of high-quality standards.
So why did we choose Erythritol and Stevia?
Erythritol being sugar alcohol naturally occurs in some fruits and fermented foods with negligible calories. (<0.2kcal/100g). It has a history of safe use and is approved by the regulatory agencies of more than 60 countries. Being sugar alcohol, it is not metabolized in the human body and thus has no effect on blood sugar levels or insulin levels. It is tooth-friendly with anti-cariogenic properties.
But erythritol is only 70% as sweet as sugar and has to be consumed more to match the sweetness of sugar. Stevia on the other hand is a natural sweetener made from the leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana has zero calories with a history of more than 1500 years of usage. It is not metabolized by the human body and thus has a zero glycemic index. But again, Stevia is 150-300 times as sweet as sugar and has a bitter aftertaste.
So, what did Maypharm do? After thorough research, we managed to get the ingredients and then it was time to blend them in the right way. For almost a year we meticulously carried thorough research on different blends to arrive at the right mix. After multiple tasting trials, we were convinced that we have created something amazing. A free-flowing crystalline blend of fine particles which exactly taste like Sugar but looks after your health – Sucra d’Lite!
Sucra d’Lite is special to us as it is also our first product in the consumer segment.
Very recently, we launched the product in India through online portals & E-commerce platforms. We are delighted with the response already and are working towards better engagement with the users. We are thankful for the acceptance of the product and the amazing customer reviews.
We are open to business opportunities across the globe. Do connect with us for further details.
The new era of collaborations – An interview of Mr. Sameer Kolhe
Healthcare Radius spoke to Sameer Kolhe, Founder of Maypharm Life Sciences about Maypharm’s new market entries, and collaborations.
Maypharm Life Sciences is a new age healthcare company based in India and Brazil, catering to the Latin American Markets. Headquartered in Mumbai, India they have a strong network of Research and Technology driven research and manufacturing companies across Europe, the US and South East Asia regions via whom they partner to bring advanced technologies and products at affordable prices. Healthcare Radius spoke to Sameer Kolhe, Founder of Maypharm Life Sciences about Maypharm’s new market entries, and collaborations. Sameer is spearheading the business functions at Maypharm and shaping the business development, project management, finance and consulting functions.
Could you please begin by giving our readers an introduction to Maypharm Lifesciences? First of all, thank you for inviting me to this conversation. It is indeed a pleasure to connect and share my thoughts from such a powerful platform. Talking about Maypharm, we are driven by the idea of offering value-added and affordable healthcare products to emerging markets in the world. Though the idea is simple and may sound routine, our approach to the basic pillars of the business – the Market, the Model, and the Portfolio, is unique.
Market – typically we focus on territories with high potential yet having significant entry barriers for foreign players to enter.
Model – we operate on a business model where we negate the concept of the ‘competition’ itself as we bring in business opportunities to players at every level in the value chain. So, rather than competing, we collaborate to become partners in growth.
Portfolio – Therapeutic areas requiring better compliance or easy administration, products extremely specific to these markets (making it less available in general), herbal and nutraceuticals backed by clinical trials. While selecting products we take care of affordability and profitability to consumers.
Being virtual in terms of manufacturing and R&D, we make use of the best resources available in India, Europe and other parts of the world and are creating an enviable portfolio of products. With a fully owned subsidiary company in Brazil, we are focused on Latin America as our primary market currently. We have various products in different stages of registrations in Brazil and Mexico and are poised to begin commercial operations in both markets in the 2nd quarter of this financial year.
The pandemic was unprecedented. What were the steps taken by Maypharm to counter the effects of the pandemic – business-wise and innovation-wise? Undoubtedly, the pandemic did create a perplexing situation and Just like every other company we have been affected by this unprecedented challenge. Fortunately, the team has stepped up and turned it into an opportunity for us on the business front. We partially aligned ourselves to the changing landscape quickly. Assessing the scenario, we approached the Government agencies and health authorities for fast-track registrations for some of the life-saving medicines. We have been fortunate that our requests were considered positively, and we are doing everything possible to serving the patients in these markets and in turn intangibly getting benefitted from the fast-track processes for some of our products. Also, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of general wellbeing amongst people globally. We are working on a range of products which is focused on healthy living and preventive care. We plan to roll out these products in multiple countries starting from India as well.
Give us an insight into the Maypharm’s presence and operation in the whole Latin American region. Do you have plans to expand it to further areas in the American continent? Brazil remains to be our primary market and with a local office in Sao Paulo and a local regulatory team, we intend to continue focusing on introducing multiple products and partnerships in Brazil. We plan to launch 4 to 5 products in this financial year and increase the tally of our product pipeline to 40 by end of the year, which is a significant investment. But, to answer your question, we are in an investment phase currently. We have similar targets for Mexico too and should achieve them by the next financial year. At this point, we have a pipeline of almost 15 products in Mexico at various stages of registration. We are in the early stages of making an entry in key markets of Latin America like Costa Rica, Colombia, and a few Central American countries, expecting to have significant traction in all these countries by end of the year. Interestingly, we will launch technology-driven products in the health and wellness segment in India this quarter. The pandemic has made us look towards India as a significant market opportunity, as mentioned, in the health and wellness segment and we are working on multiple channels to distribute our products here.
Healthcare organisations and allied businesses across the world are engaging in collaborative ventures—including alliances, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions—at an increasing rate. Maypharm too has collaborated with partner companies for developing niche technologies. Could you give us a brief about these ventures? Partnerships are core to our ‘Model’ as explained earlier. On the product side, we are focused on innovation and new drug delivery systems which will have a positive impact on healthcare and patient compliance. The first round of funding that we went through has helped us generate enough resources to focus on such developments and investing in niche projects with CDMOs in India. As an example, we are investing in a technology of a herbal patch known for thousands of years to us but going via the route of the clinical trial to registering this as a medicinal product for a specific indication – value creation. On the market side, we have collaborated with the best in each of the market segments like the hospital segments, retail chains focused on creating brands, etc. We are sure that these partnerships will turn into ventures sooner than later.
What does the future look like for Maypharm? What are your plans? The short to medium-term plan is to establish ourselves as a speciality pharmaceutical company in Brazil and Mexico, which will give us a core from where we can expand our base. At the same time, we would continue the efforts to introduce innovation-based products which will help the consumer and customer, slowly but surely positioning ourselves as a player with innovative products and solutions. Medium to long term, we would like to have our portfolio of products commercialised in at least 10 to 12 countries and known as an established multinational healthcare company. To achieve this, we will be banking on building a motivated team that will share a common vision and passion. Also, we are consciously building a process-driven organisation ready to absorb challenges faced by a growth-oriented setup.
Make in India initiative is a big push from the Government of India for pharma and Healthcare. How has it benefited Maypharm’s endeavours? It is a major push for companies like ours relying on the manufacturing prowess of India and while going into new territories. The improved brand image of the Indian Pharmaceutical industry during the pandemic is helping positively. At the same time, the reduced dependency on Chinese imports has provided flexibility. We believe that this situation is a perfect platform for innovation and advancement in efficiency.
Your opinion on this year’s budget w.r.t healthcare sector. I feel the pandemic was a trigger for the Government of India and a better allocation of the budget was much anticipated post the virus outbreak. The budget did reflect the government’s emphasis and focus on building a stronger and resilient healthcare system – primary, secondary as well as tertiary. A whopping 137% rise in budget compared to last year which is allocated for healthcare particularly towards investing in Research and Development, healthcare infrastructure, immunisation, nutrition programs and preventive and curative healthcare is much welcomed by all of us from the Industry. The government has recognised the importance of investing in this sector and the vision of quality and affordable health coverage of all is a praiseworthy move. I feel it is time we utilise this opportunity to expedite lifesaving and essential drugs and invest in innovative solutions to be future-ready to combat any known as well as unascertained situations related to public health.
Brazil – Indian Pharma’s potential growth engine for next decade!
Can the enriched brand image of Indian Pharma after COVID-19 enable seamless value creation in the Latin American giant?
Recently, ET Healthworld covered Sameer’s thoughts on Indian Pharma’s improved Brand equity after COVID 19 crisis and the opportunity it has presented to Midsize Pharmaceutical companies to enter Brazil.
Below is the article followed by the link –
Indian Pharmaceutical manufacturers are recognized as the leading force playing a decisive role in positive change witnessed by Healthcare industry globally. With years of focus and favourable policies, Indian generics form almost 60% of the medicinal products consumed in the USA and Europe. India boasts largest concentration of USFDA and EUGMP approved facilities across the globe. This stellar performance in last couple of decades has led to a massive value creation by leading Pharmaceutical companies and it is apparent if we track stock markets.
The Covid 19 crisis has crippled life across the world and has affected most a lot of countries severely. Undoubtedly, India has stepped up during these times cementing its position as ‘Pharmacy of the world’. Undoubtedly vaccines are in limelight due to detailed discussion carried out about them on every possible platform, but India is playing a key role in maintaining supply of life saving medicines silently. Lot of countries having shortages of key hospital products during the pandemic have turned to India as a trusted supplier to fulfil the demand.
One of the regions facing unprecedented challenge due to the pandemic is Latin America and Brazil happens to be the worst affected. Responding appropriately to the situation, Brazilian authorities have taken some unprecedented measures to tackle the drug shortages. Fast track approvals to COVID related drugs, desktop GMP clearance to manufacturing facilities, special import authorization to products manufactured outside Brazil (including India) are some of the notable initiatives. The local government has made sincere efforts to welcome Indian manufacturers willing to serve the human lives affected.
Can we turn this once in a lifetime event into an opportunity having potential to drive the next decade of growth? We all know that Brazil is 5th largest Pharmaceutical market in the world supported by steady growth. It has always been a challenging territory for foreign companies to venture and grow. Multiple factors like strong local industry, stringent regulations, unique legislative set up, long gestation period, language barrier, cultural diversity etc. have kept the value out of reach for a lot of midsize companies.
Is it an opening for Indian Pharma? Riding high on the improved brand value, can the industry create its own space in the Brazilian market dominated by local companies? As rightly said by James Penny, growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together. It is indeed an opportunity to unlock next phase of growth by identifying the forces which will allow an entry to the Latin American giant.
After almost a year of working in isolation, team Maypharm came together for the first time in this financial year. It turned out to be a review session accompanied with a highly reflective growth training.
An activity filled session delivered by Neha Malhotra set the tone for another year of high growth and value creation. Her ability to make the whole team think together and visualize potential possibilities made enormous impact.
Wild card access to less explored, high entry barrier territories
Sameer Kolhe, President, Maypharm Life Sciences highlights that COVID-19 brings some ‘challenging’ markets within reach for the Indian pharma manufacturers
Some territories have always remained illusive for Indian Pharmaceutical companies due to high entry barriers. These markets are important for next phase of growth and how can COVID 19 be a catalyst in this effort.
Here is an article from Express Pharma written by Sameer Kolhe with a special focus on Brazil.
Hola Madrid!
Maypharm and Zalika are excited to meet, greet and connect with the global Pharma leaders at CPhI Worldwide starting on 9th October 2018 till 11th October 2018.
We will be exhibiting at the Brazilian Pavilion and you can find us at Booth #140 G70. Please connect with us to schedule a meeting. We like surprises too! So you are welcome without a planned slot as well.
