Project summary

Given the state of the pharmaceutical industry today, virtually no one in the world has a choice not to consume animals through their pharmaceuticals. This lack of informed choice is created through ignorance and obfuscation about how pharmaceuticals are made. Once one becomes informed about the presence of animal components in pharmaceuticals, however, there are limited or more often no options for animal-free medicine in modern hospitals and pharmacies. We solve both of these problems by educating people about the problem of animal products in pharmaceuticals and offering a tangible solution: animal-free medicine that is chemically identical to medicine which contains animals.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

There are over 3 billion people in the world who we work to serve. These populations underserved by the pharmaceutical industry include vegans, people with religious dietary requirements (Kosher, Halal, vegetarianism, and so on,) people with alpha-gal syndrome, environmentalists, and conscious consumers. Our goal is to create a choice for these people to practice their values when it comes to modern medicine. We do this by educating about and creating medicine free from animals which serves the needs of all of these communities.

We are beginning in India which has the largest plant-based population of any country and is a major pharmaceutical hub of generic medicine. By building a base where there is already a substantial population that cares about a plant-based diet and has the vendors needed to address the problem of animals in pharmaceuticals, we will be poised to expand globally in the years to come. We are working to build an online presence and collaborate with various institutions to conduct research on animal components in pharmaceuticals to educate our stakeholders about the same. Simultaneously, we are working to create animal-free medicines to sell at or below market rates.

How will this funding be used?

Donations support education about animal products in pharmaceuticals as well as manufacture and sale of plant-based medicine. The $2,500 amount will help support manufacturing costs for our minimum viable product — 650mg paracetamol (acetaminophen) tablets. The $70,000 amount will help support marketing, manufacturing costs, and overhead for the organization for 6 months.

Our impact is uniquely measurable— every purchase of Ahimsa Pharma medicine tangibly displaces animal products in the global pharmaceutical supply chain. When we become profitable through the sale of medicine in year 3, not only will we be self-sufficient and no longer require donations, but we will be able to continuously expand into different product lines to make sure there is a vegan option for every medicine and every person on the globe has access.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Deepali Kulkarni MA, MSt, MPhil - Founder and CEO. Deepali has experience in education, human rights, advocacy, and ethnographic research. She is the engine behind Ahimsa Pharma and has a strong track record in international awareness campaigns.

Mohan Kantamameni MPharm, MBA - Co-founder and COO. Mohan has a background in pharmacy and management. He has had great success with for-profit companies and non-profit organizations in India and the US.

Dayaprasad Kulkarni M.B.B.S, MSc - Advisor. Dayaprasad is a medical doctor and the founder and director of Aarogya Seva: Global Health Volunteer Alliance. He has spent the last twenty years working to make healthcare more accessible to marginalized communities in India and around the world and has had a direct positive impact on the health outcomes of tens of thousands of lives.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

If this project fails it may take decades or longer before the issue of animal components in pharmaceuticals is addressed in Asia. In our experience, it has been an uphill battle to gain traction in this work due to the widespread obfuscation about the sourcing of chemicals used in pharmaceuticals. There are a negligible number of organizations working on this globally. If this project fails and we do not educate about or create animal-free medicine, global awareness and actualization of animal-free and cruelty-free medicine may continue to stagnate outside of the West where a few small companies are working to address this issue.

What other funding are you or your project getting?

Currently the founder and CEO has exhausted her life's savings in moving this project forward. We are working on applications for a variety of funding opportunities including grants and incubators.