I am a master in India

Chapter 93 Endless Greed

Luca's journey was not easy. From Mumbai to Brazil, he had to cross the Indian Ocean, go around the Cape of Good Hope, and finally cross the Atlantic Ocean to dock at the port of Rio de Janeiro.

It took us a little over a month to reach Brazil, stopping and starting along the way. That's just the way it is when you're traveling by sea; you have to stop at shore frequently to resupply.

But it was all worth it. The hundreds of kilograms of cargo that Luca carried traveled halfway around the world, and the final shipping cost was only about two thousand US dollars.

Water transport is slow, but cheap. His friend often travels around the world with Brazilian "specialties", so carrying his small amount, which is less than a container, is easy.

As soon as the cargo ship docked at the pier, Luca's brother Ronaldo ordered people to start unloading. He received a call from his brother two days ago.

"Bro, did the trip go well?"

"It's like traveling. You'll never guess what I saw in India. That damn place is a veritable black market paradise!"

The two brothers embraced each other warmly, and their relatives and friends were all beaming with joy. Everyone knew that the moment the drugs arrived at the port, they were destined to make a fortune.

Brazil has a population of 1.6 million, but no established pharmaceutical companies. The country relies heavily on imported medicines, especially in-demand drugs, which are expensive and out of reach for most people.

Brazil and India are actually quite similar. Both countries are located in low latitudes with hot, humid climates. Both countries are melting pots of people, with diverse languages ​​and darker skin.

They both have underdeveloped economies and large populations. Topographically, they have large plateaus in the south and vast plains in the north, such as the Deccan Plateau and the Brazilian Plateau. Even their landmasses are shaped like inverted triangles.

However, Brazil's gangs are rampant, far more serious than India's. In some cities, gangs directly replace the government in managing people's livelihoods.

It is obvious that this environment is not conducive to the development of economy and scientific research. Look, India has generic drugs, but Brazil does not.

But Luca and his friends don't care about this. They are happy to see it happen. Indian generic drugs have become a shortcut for them to make money.

"Is this batch of goods complete in variety?" Ronaldo asked, his eyes occasionally scanning the makeshift cardboard boxes.

"Everything on the list is available. The pharmaceutical manufacturers are slightly different, but the effects are the same."

"Great, I've already contacted some clients who are willing to pay a high price for the entire package."

"All?" Luca was shocked.

"Everyone! Besides Rio de Janeiro, there are other big cities in Brazil, and even people from Argentina have come here."

Ronaldo looked quite proud, as he had found another profitable business. They used to sell cannabis, but were kicked out due to gang conflicts.

What else could a gang member in Brazil do besides selling hemp? He sent his brother Luca to India to buy the drug, and by some strange coincidence, he brought back the first batch of drugs.

Pandora's box was opened, and the two brothers discovered that drug smuggling was also very profitable. Their appetite became even greater, so they directly all-in saved nearly $100,000 to purchase the goods.

As word of the first batch of medicines spread, many people came to the door. Businessmen are shrewd, with a keen sense of smell, and they realized the profit from it after just a little inquiry.

Look, Luca’s cargo has just arrived at the port and has almost been divided up.

"In a week at most, we can get back three to four times the profit. Then we can reinvest this money and make more money!" Ronaldo took Luca to the bar by the dock.

"At least let me rest for a while, I just came back from the other side of the world." Luca complained.

"I know, but that's three or four times the profit. We can raise $300,000 this time. Just imagine how much we can get if we make another trip back?" Ronaldo's tone was extremely seductive.

"OK, two weeks! I'll fly back to India in two weeks!" Luca raised his hands in surrender.

"Great, my dear brother!" Ronaldo put his arm around his shoulders affectionately. "The family's honor is embodied in you. Before you go find a girl to relax with, let me introduce someone to you."

"Who?" Luca was not interested. He was only interested in the girl now. The enthusiasm of the Brazilian girl was the best soothing agent.

"Come, let's talk inside." Ronaldo took Luca into the bar.

They saw a foreigner in the corner of the booth. He had blond hair, which was obviously not the hair color of Brazilians.

"Let me introduce you. This is Jerry from Merck. This is my brother Luca. He has a lot of connections in India."

"Hello." The two men shook hands with each other, then sat down and relaxed, and began to enjoy the beer in front of them.

Brazilians are enthusiastic and direct, and Jerry knows this very well. If he wants to win their favor, he should have a drink first.

Sure enough, after drinking the good beer, Luca's eyes became much friendlier.

"Merck seems to be a pharmaceutical company?" Luca has done some research since he got involved in this business.

"Yes, I'm here in Latin America exploring the market," Jerry admitted generously.

"American company?"

"Hmm~" Luca looked at his brother in confusion, his eyes seemed to ask, why did you bring your competitor home?

"Jerry wants to discuss another business with us." Ronaldo motioned him to be patient.

"Don't worry, Luca, we are not competitors and our customers are not a single group." Jerry laughed.

Luca was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. It was true, Merck's clients were all wealthy Brazilians, and they wouldn't try generic drugs.

Branded drugs are ten or twenty times more expensive, so what? In short, in their eyes, India represents shoddy products.

"Well, Jerry from the Lighthouse, what business do you want to discuss with me?"

"I heard you have a lot of connections in India and can get scarce resources that others can't?"

"What do you mean?"

"Trial," Jerry looked around and lowered his voice, "clinical trial."

Luca raised his eyebrows, "You want to find someone to test the medicine?"

"As you know, developing any new drug requires a large number of clinical trials. This is very troublesome in the United States, but it's different in India, where there are a large number of pharmaceutical companies. They are doing the same thing, they have rich human resources, and various processes are quite mature."

For an established pharmaceutical company like Merck, if it wants to develop a new drug, the R&D cost may be as high as more than one billion US dollars, and the cycle is also measured in years.

Among them, clinical trials are an important part of new drug development, which is not only extremely expensive but also has a very long cycle.

According to US law, even if volunteers are informed, pharmaceutical companies must prepare various protection measures, including emergency treatment, follow-up recuperation, and compensation.

There is no doubt that recruiting each drug trial volunteer often costs pharmaceutical companies tens of thousands of dollars.

Established Western companies have been looking for breakthroughs, hoping to save costs and shorten the clinical trial cycle.

India has long been in their sights, but India has always been closed to the outside world, and Western companies cannot enter.

In addition, since the 70s, there have been constant patent disputes, and the Indian government has a very bad impression of Western pharmaceutical companies.

It was opened last year, and Merck also tried to get in touch, but the Indian government had no interest at all.

If we let you in, what will happen to our own generic drug companies such as Ranbaxy and Cipla?
Just when Merck was at a loss, Jerry, who was in charge of the Latin American market, accidentally heard about Luca.

"Five thousand dollars each, if you can find volunteers!"

"Five thousand?" Luca wanted to refuse directly, but the number made him silent.

"Yes, five thousand dollars. We only want the person, and we don't care about anything else. We don't want any other trouble to come to us."

Luca understood what Jerry meant. Merck refused to acknowledge any hidden dangers or compensation.

"Luca, I think it's worth considering," Ronaldo hinted to his brother. India has a larger population than Brazil. If Brazilian lives are worthless, Indian lives are even less so.

"I'm not sure." Luca was a little confused. "I have to ask. Also, how can Merck legally conduct trials in India?"

"We will donate a laboratory with advanced instruments and equipment, which the Indian government has long desired." Jerry was confident about this.

Merck can choose not to enter the Indian market, as it cannot compete with local generic drug companies, but pure academic institutions can still do so.

The Indian government likes to get things for free, so of course it will not refuse something that is given for free.

In fact, Merck had previously contacted a local consulting firm in Mumbai, and they tentatively put forward their own requirements.

But when they heard that we were working for an American company, a pharmaceutical company at that, they immediately refused, saying no amount of money would help. They believed this would threaten the status of Indian generic drugs, which was unbelievable, but that was the reality.

The country's serious corruption problem has reached absurd levels, with high-ranking military officials daring to sell weapons to hostile organizations. However, there are also some people who will not hesitate to refuse readily available benefits for the sake of domestic companies.

No one can understand the third brother's thought process, which has nothing to do with logic.

In the end, there was no choice but to give up the idea after trying several times.

But now Jerry had discovered another roundabout way, and he decided to try it.

If feasible, Merck can immediately start setting up the Indian experiment.

"I will return to India in half a month. Wait for my news." Luca said defeatedly.

Five thousand dollars is hard to refuse, as it is equivalent to the profit from smuggling drugs.

PS: All 20 chapters have been posted. I will take a nap first and talk about it tomorrow! Big guys, thank you for subscribing!
(End of this chapter)