Nathan Sigworth and Taylor Thompson

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2008

Nathan Sigworth and Taylor Thompson

PharmaSecure

http://www.pharmasecure.us

Hamden, Connecticut, United States

Community Improvement & Economic Development, Health

The Bold Idea:

Using mobile technology to reduce the sale of counterfeit drugs in developing countries.

Counterfeit drugs are a major global health problem. Approximately $45 billion of counterfeit drugs were sold globally in 2006 and World Health Organization data suggest that as much as 25 percent of drugs sold in developing countries may be counterfeit, containing few or no active ingredients. These counterfeit drugs cause hundreds of thousands of people to die every year and contribute to the incidence of drug-resistant diseases. PharmaSecure's approach addresses the public health crisis of counterfeiting in innovative ways that are secure and culturally appropriate for customers and cost-effective for pharmaceutical and government partners.

Biography:

During his first year at Dartmouth College, an invention introduced Nathan to the world of entrepreneurship, while a visit to a rural hospital in India introduced him to a world of poverty and public health problems. Nathan spent the next three years taking classes on economics and doing research on issues of health access intending to use entrepreneurship to address major health issues. Taylor Thompson spent sixteen months of his time at Dartmouth in East Africa, doing work on health access and research projects. With complementary skills, a common vision, and a year as college roommates, Nathan and Taylor decided to team up and address the problem of counterfeit drugs.

Moment of Obligation: What experiences led to the desire to start your own organization?
We didn’t want to start our own organization. We did everything possible to integrate our goals into an existing structure, instead of having to build our own structure up from the earth. There was, however, no other way of accomplishing our goal—of curbing the sale of fake drugs in the developing world–so we went where we could do the most good and started afresh.

Gall to Think Big: What has given you the ability to dream big and take on deeply entrenched social and difficult problems? (Such as experiences, skills, events, etc.)
Experience has shown us our many blessings and led us to look for ways of extending these blessings to others. For both of us, dreaming big comes naturally and causes almost as many problems as it portends to solve. We constantly have ideas of how things can be done better or cheaper–or just differently. The challenge has been learning to cull these ideas, to test them and quickly disqualify the bad ones.

New and Untested: What's innovative about your new idea for social change?
Our idea transforms the market. Currently, only counterfeiters and complicit pharmacists know which drugs are fake, but our system will provide that information to everyone, allowing them to make informed decisions about where they buy their medicine.

Seeing Possibilities: What are the most important qualities to be a successful social entrepreneur?
You must (so we’re told) be dogged. You must latch onto your goals like a child to his mother’s neck and not let go until they are safely accomplished, but–all the while—you also must submit yourself, your goals, to the evidence. Never be too rigid to stop something that is failing; never be so proud to acknowledge your mistakes; always apply the strictest standards to that which you like best.

Which musical artists/albums get you going and keep you inspired?
I listen to Sonny Rollins for Impassioned moments. Stan Getz for Elegant. Jurassic 5 for Fun. Brother Ali for Intense. The Chieftains for Spirited. Bob Dylan for Reflective. Nickel Creek for Wistful. Jack Johnson for Chill.

What books do you recommend (pleasure, work and anything in between)?
While preparing for an interview a few months ago, a friend asked me, “If Martians landed and asked you for three books to represent humanity, what would you give them?” My answer: The Brothers Karamazov, All The King’s Men, and The Lorax.

Which websites do you visit often (work and/or personal)?

• mint.com (to see how much money we don’t have)
• google.com (to look for special holiday logos)
• theonion.com (for news)

What advice or quote do you keep close to your heart as a social change leader?
“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt, 1910