I'm a Master in India

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

The journey was stop-and-go, and it took a little over a month to reach Brazil. That's just how it is traveling by water; you have to dock frequently to replenish supplies.

But it was all worth it. The several hundred kilograms of goods Luca carried, after circling most of the globe, ended up costing only about two thousand dollars in freight.

Water transportation is slow, but cheap. His friend often hauls Brazilian "specialties" all over the world, so taking his small, less-than-a-container-load of goods was easy.

As soon as the cargo ship docked, Luca's brother, Ronaldo, directed people to start unloading. He had received a call from his brother two days earlier.

"Bro, was this trip smooth?"

"It was just like a vacation. You'll never guess what I saw in India. That place is truly a black market paradise!"

The two brothers embraced warmly, and their relatives and friends around them were also beaming with joy. Everyone knew that the moment the medicines landed, they were destined to make a fortune.

Brazil has a population of 160 million, but not a single pharmaceutical company with any real strength. The entire country's medicines basically rely on imports, especially some of the in-demand drugs, which are expensive and unaffordable for most people.

In fact, Brazil and India are very similar countries. They are both located in low-latitude regions with hot and humid climates. Both countries are melting pots of races, with many languages and predominantly dark-skinned citizens.

Their economies are both underdeveloped and have large populations. Geographically, they both have large plateaus in the south and large plains in the north, such as the Deccan Plateau and the Brazilian Highlands. Even the shape of their territories is a reversed triangle.

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

Obviously, this environment is not conducive to economic and scientific development. Look, India has generic drugs, but Brazil doesn't.

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

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

"Everything on the list is there. The manufacturers are a little different, but the effects are the same."

"Good, I've already contacted some clients who are willing to pay a high price to take it all."

"All of it?" Luca was surprised.

"All of it! Besides Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has other big cities, and even people from Argentina have come looking."

Ronaldo's expression was quite proud. He had found another way to make money. They used to sell marijuana, but were kicked out due to gang conflicts.

What else can gang members in Brazil do besides sell marijuana? He had his younger brother Luca go to India to buy goods, and by sheer luck, he brought back the first batch of medicines.

Pandora's box was opened, and the two brothers discovered that smuggling medicines was also extremely profitable. Their appetites grew, so they directly went all-in and saved nearly ten thousand dollars to buy goods.

Coincidentally, the reputation of the first batch of medicines began to spread, and many people took the initiative to come to them. Businessmen are shrewd, and their sense of smell is keen. After a little inquiry, they realized the profits involved.

That's why Luca's goods were almost completely divided up as soon as they landed.

"In a week at most, we can get back three to four times the profit. Then we'll invest that money again to make even more money!" Ronaldo pulled Luca to a bar by the pier.

"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 three hundred thousand dollars this time. Think about how much it will turn into if we run another trip?" Ronaldo's tone was extremely seductive.

"Okay, two weeks! In two weeks, I'll fly back to India!" Luca surrendered.

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

"Who?" Luca was not interested. He was only interested in girls right now. The passion of Brazilian girls was the best comfort.

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

They met a foreigner in the corner of a booth. Uh, he had blond hair, which was obviously not the hair color of Brazilians.

"Let me introduce you, this is Jerry from Merck, and this is my brother Luca, who has good connections in India."

"Hello," the two shook hands and then sat down to enjoy the beer in front of them.

Brazilians are enthusiastic and direct. Jerry knew this well. If you want to gain favor, take a drink first.

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

"Merck seems to be a pharmaceutical company?" Since getting into this business, Luca had also done some homework.

"That's right, I'm here in Latin America to investigate the market," Jerry admitted generously.

"An American company?"

"Uh-huh~"

Luca looked at his brother suspiciously, as if asking, "Why did you bring a competitor home?"

"Jerry wants to talk to us about another business," Ronaldo signaled him to be patient.

"Don't worry, Luca, we're not competitors. Our customers are not the same group," Jerry laughed.

Luca was stunned, and then laughed. That was actually true. Merck's customers were all rich people in Brazil who wouldn't try generic drugs.

Brand-name drugs are ten or twenty times more expensive, so what? In short, in their eyes, India represents shoddy workmanship.

"Okay, Jerry from the beacon, what kind of business do you want to talk to me about?"

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

"What are you referring to?"

"Experiments," Jerry looked around and lowered his voice, "Clinical trials."

Luca raised an eyebrow, "You want to find people to test drugs?"

"You know, developing any new drug requires a lot of clinical trials. It's very troublesome in the United States, but India is different. There are a lot of pharmaceutical companies there. They are doing the same thing, and they have abundant human resources and quite mature procedures."

If an established pharmaceutical company like Merck wants to develop a new drug, the R&D costs may be as high as billions of dollars, and the cycle is also measured in years.

Clinical trials are an important part of new drug development, which is not only expensive but also very time-consuming.

According to American law, even if the volunteers are already informed, pharmaceutical companies must prepare various protection measures. This includes emergency treatment, follow-up care, and compensation.

Undoubtedly, recruiting a volunteer for drug testing often costs pharmaceutical companies tens of thousands of dollars.

Western established companies have been looking for breakthroughs. They hope to save costs and shorten the cycle of clinical trials.

India has long been in their sights, but India had been closed off before, and Western companies couldn't get in even if they wanted to.

In addition, since the 1970s, there have been constant patent disputes, and the Indian government has a very poor impression of Western pharmaceutical companies.

It opened up last year, and Merck also tried to contact them, but the Indian government wasn't very interested at all.

If we let you in, what about our own sons, 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.

"As long as you can find volunteers, five thousand dollars each!"

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

"That's right, five thousand dollars. We only need people, and we don't care about anything else. We don't want any other troubles to come to us."

Luca understood what Jerry meant. Merck wouldn't recognize any hidden dangers or compensation.

"Luca, I think it's worth considering," Ronaldo hinted to his brother. India has more people than Brazil, and Brazilian lives are worthless, let alone Indian lives.

"I'm not sure..." Luca hesitated, "I have to ask. Also, how does Merck legally conduct trials in India?"

"We will donate a laboratory with advanced equipment, which the Indian government has been longing for," Jerry said confidently.

Merck may not enter the Indian market, and it can't compete with local generic drug companies, but pure academic institutions are still possible.

The Indian government likes free stuff, so of course it won't refuse such a free gift.

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

But when the other party heard that it was to serve an American company, and a pharmaceutical company at that, they immediately shook their heads and refused, no matter how much money they were offered. They believed that this would threaten the status of Indian generic drugs. It was incredible, but that was the reality.

The country's serious corruption problem has reached an absurd level. Senior officials in the army dare to sell weapons to enemy organizations. But there are also some people who can unhesitatingly reject the benefits at their fingertips for the sake of their own companies.

No one can understand the brain circuits of the Indians, which have nothing to do with logic.

In the end, after several attempts, Merck had to give up its original idea.

But now Jerry has found a roundabout route, and he decided to try it.

If it works, Merck can immediately start the establishment of the Indian experiment.

"I'll go back to India in half a month. Wait for my news," Luca conceded.

Five thousand dollars is hard to refuse, which is comparable to the profit of smuggling drugs.

PS: All twenty chapters are finished, I'll go to sleep first and talk about it tomorrow! Thank you for subscribing!