Thailand’s gypsy pharmacist: a champion of affordable drugs

[曼谷]战争，贫困，疾病和不平等只是Krisana Kraisintu在整个职业生涯中面临的一些挑战，创造了使亚洲和非洲贫困患者受益的仿制药。

这位67岁的泰国药剂师药物againstHIV/AIDS，，，，malaria和别的疾病have been used to treat millions of people, was educated atChiang Mai University，泰国和Universities of StrathclydeandBath在英国。她领导泰国governmentinitiatives to manufacture generics for publichealth程式。

“如果您无法获得医疗保健，如何生活？This is my belief and I had to do something”

Krisana Kraisintu

In 1995, after months of working alone in a lab, she successfully developed a generic version of the drug AZT (azidothymidine), which treats advanced HIV infection and reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission. She and her team later developed the first generic “cocktail” or combination HIV drug, endorsed by the世界卫生组织as a first-line treatment for patients in poor countries.

In 2009, Krisana won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for public service. Today, through her foundation, she continues to lead a string of projects, including helping poor communities in southern Thailand grow and harvest medicinal plants.

克里萨纳（Krisana）被称为“吉普赛药剂师”（Gypsy Pharmacist），她的信念是，负担得起的医疗保健是基本的人权。她告诉scidev.netin an interview.

Why did you focus your work on generic HIV/AIDS drugs?

In those days, in 1992, only rich people really could get the drugs, because the cost of treatment at that time was so expensive. But if you cannot get access to healthcare, how can you live your life? This is my belief and I had to do something. Once we could manufacture generic drugs in Thailand, it became 20 to 22 times cheaper and Thailand could export these to neighbouring countries which needed them.

我想将这项技术转移到那里的那些穷人，因为我一直认为本地生产是一种长期解决方案，您需要能够在自己的国家制造。这很困难，因为有时我必须自己战斗，但至少有人为他们而战。

在2002 - 2009年在十二个非洲国家工作时，您最大的挑战是什么？

It can be very difficult because of war, poverty and many other things, so living and working in Africa really tested my stamina, tested my everything. It was like walking in a dark wood on a moonless night. Sometimes it was a frightening experience, and there was sometimes no electricity or water or infrastructure. But how could I fail these people? I promised to help, and a promise is a promise.

三年来，我一直在刚果民主共和国，我们无法相互交流。我在那里为一家当地药品公司提供技术援助和专业知识，以建立一家工厂来制造抗逆转录病毒固定剂量组合。他们说法语和斯瓦希里语，我都不讲。因此，我将首先演示，他们会写下所有内容。然后他们会重复他们写下的内容，我会看，然后我们再做一次，直到正确为止。

In Liberia, there had been years of civil war. I went there four times to try and start production with the[Bill and Melinda] Gates Foundationbut there was no factory, no infrastructure. I could only go to the hospitals and help prepare the drugs in a small laboratory.

How did your childhood influence your career?

我的祖母是一个佛教修女，我很小的时候就去圣殿去圣殿，看看她如何尽力帮助所有人。我父亲是苏梅岛的医生，母亲是一名护士，所以我被父母包围，治疗病人，帮助他们。

我看到我父亲用现代药物治疗他们,modern medicine, but my grandfather was a traditional doctor on the island. He used traditional (herbal or plant-based medicines and remedies) and so I saw both ways, modern and traditional. When I studied pharmacy at university, I knew that I could apply both ways, so that they complemented each other, worked hand in hand.

What is your advice for young researchers and scientists, especially women, facing professional challenges?

如果您遇到问题，那真的不是问题，那是一种练习。而且，您拥有的练习越多，您拥有的经验就越多，您就可以走得更远。您必须找到自己的方式而不要放弃。我认为这是她灌输给我的祖母的哲学。坚持不懈地持续，“永不放弃”原则。


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