Prince of pharma

Arpit Save, Managing Director, Savera Pharmaceuticals, was considering two options post-HSC – pursue either medicine or pharmacy. He visited Cooper Hospital in Mumbai, witnessed his cousin, who was interning in the hospital, handling trauma patients coming in large numbers. The next day, he visited the posh office of pharmaceutical company Sandoz, saw work environment there. His instinct told him that his vocation lies in research and development of medicines for treatment of patients rather than treating them.

He then obtained a B Pharma degree from the MET Institute of Pharmacy, Mumbai and joined the family business, making it ready to face global challenges.

Q: Please, tell us about your academic and entrepreneurial journey.

A: During my school days, my father always took me to our pharma plant. In every holiday during my B Pharmacy years, I interned with Wockhardt, FDC, Ajanta Pharma in Aurangabad, also at several plants in Gujarat, Hyderabad and Telangana. During the second year of the degree, I studied in Ireland and got an opportunity to work in the plant of French major Servier. I acquired academic knowledge and also saw how it is put to practice in the corporate world.

I wanted a little bit of difference in two areas in our company. One was hardcore technical finance and marketing and secondly global approach. Earlier, we were working predominantly for multinational companies but for Indian markets. I had ambitions to take our products global so pursued an MBA from London Business School. During the course and few years later, I worked in the UK. I then started working in our business in 2010. We had purchased assets of TTK in 2009 and I oversaw its conversion into a pharma unit.

Q: What innovation did you bring into the business?

A: I think mind-set change was a major step. Our people had essentially done contact manufacturing for long time. For them, innovation was taking technology that came from large pharma units and finding out how to implement it in cost-effective manner.

I stressed on three things in innovation - identify need that you are trying to solve, does it fit market requirements like is it too early or too late and can customer pay the price. I also thought product should be clinically backed, with some innovation in medicine delivery and have good taste.

In Atra, we worked on improving product portfolio of clients. We developed a bio layer tablet, that is a two-drug tablet with a layer above another. Extended release product was another creation. If one needs three tablets a day to have pharma effect of a drug, we changed its release pattern wherein only one tablet is taken, and medicine is released slowly in the body in phases. We sold Atra in 2019.

In Savera, we created two new verticals. Typically, when you take a tablet, capsule goes to stomach and is absorbed from liver. We manufactured sublingual oral sprays for multivitamin, multi-mineral, and nutraceuticals, which are released and directly absorbed under tongue and go straight into blood.

Other product is innovative shots or shooter, 50 ml or 25 ml drinks that people can have on the go. In future too, we want Savera to be an innovation-driven company. Savera portfolio includes powders, Oral Rehydrating Solutions, syrups, and Vitamin D3 sachets.

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Q: Your opinion on Family Managed Businesses.

A: You need to have democratic discussions among promoters with no personal agenda. I was the only pharmacist in the family business so had technical knowledge. My father is good in terms of dividing roles. I had a lot of independent control. We made many mistakes, but nowhere was I told to scrap certain project because it was not viable. My grandfather Moreshwar also supported.

Q: What are the challenges before pharma industry in Aurangabad?

A: Having access to right talent is a challenge to midsize or small-scale companies. There are great people at starting level, very good B Pharm, engineers, and fresh ITI candidates. However, mid and top level talent is missing as they are moving to bigger cities. We also need ease of export. Companies in Delhi or Mumbai have access to exhibitions, visits by foreign delegates and clients, for majority of whom healthcare is an important agenda. Aurangabad does not have such visits due to lack of exhibition, connectivity, or knowledge about this city. We also need a collective forum of pharma companies to air opinions with Government authorities.