As the world steps into the post-COVID era, there is a growing need to redesign the existing consumer healthcare industry that takes a multi-disciplinary science driven approach in product development and marketing. Donning the hats of a pharmaceutical design scientist, idea innovator, and value builder, meet Maharukh T Rustomjee, founder of Amaterasu Lifesciences LLP. For Maharukh, science is her passion, and she is redefining the field of pharma by providing simple and effective solutions to unmet needs and health related problems of the Indian consumer.

In an in-depth conversation with the Women Entrepreneur team, Maharukh takes us along on her professional journey and speaks to us about her new venture Amaterasu Lifesciences.

Take us through your educational and professional journey. What factors played a role in you becoming a leader in the pharma industry?

I come from a lower-middle-class modest background and spent my early years at Ahmednagar. My mother was a revolutionary woman, who decided very early that her daughters would not be homemakers like her but career women who would be financially independent. She pushed me to take my education seriously and I was very good at it from the start. I got into a three-year pharmacy course at the Institute of Chemical Technology and I enjoyed it. And I realized that this was as good as medicine because it deals with treating patients, developing innovative solutions and manufacturing medicinal and healthcare products to treat various health conditions. During my Master's at ICT, the programme was based on research, where it was clear to me that this is what really excited me. My quest in life since then, has been to keep learning and continue evolving as a pharmaceutical products research scientist.

I started working in the industry right after graduating and have been here for over 35 years. In the first 15 of those years, I worked with big pharma companies such as Ciba Geigy, Novartis, GSK, in various capacities, like R&D, scale-up, tech transform and even part of manufacturing. My personality as a detail oriented, perseverant and customer focused person helped me to learn the trade and develop the thought process and skills to be a good researcher.

After several roles and positions in big pharma companies, I realized that I needed to evolve, take on more challenges in a nonconventional way so that I could use my research training in a meaningful way. I left the multinational job in 1998 and joined a very small company which was trading and marketing specialty chemicals to pharma companies, with the responsibility as head of the technical marketing division. That was my first exposure to handling commercial business aspects of any entity in an entrepreneurial role. Working there and getting hands-on experience gave me the confidence after six months, that I was now capable of starting something on my own.

My motto, as a scientist, is to keep it as simple as possible by using the latest advances in science so that the products we develop are effective and solve the patient/consumer problem, safe, as well as easily manufacturable and cost effective. I am always looking for avenues to learn new concepts and advances in the field. I bring that to my leadership style too: because I am always wanting to learn and I always want to mentor my younger team members. My mentoring is geared towards pushing people to think through concepts and apply those thought processes for problem-solving.

That is such an inspiring story, not just for the women in the pharma industry, but also for females in the corporate field, in general. I would like to know, how did you start these two companies, Rubicon research pvt ltd and Amaterasu lifesciences LLP?

I had set up my first company, Rubicon Research Private Limited right from scratch with two of my friends. This was a complete game-changer in the Indian pharmaceutical sector, the first contract research company in the formulation design and drug delivery research space. I built it for 15 to 17 years with my partners and from a two people team, we became a 350 people company with operations across multiple locations and an enviable science driven business.

When we built Rubicon, the focus on integrity was prime and hence the first function and team we set up was quality assurance. Rubicon's sterling reputation was based on this quality of our deliverable to our customers.

In 2016, I set up Amaterasu Lifesciences after I exited Rubicon with a market valuation that exceeded Rs 150 Cr. Here our focus was to develop technologies and products for healthcare and pharmaceutical use for all the stakeholders in the society, meeting some key unmet need areas.

Tell us about your current venture, Amaterasu Lifesciences.

Amaterasu is close to my heart. It was conceptualized because I wanted to give back to society by collaborating and mentoring academic research groups to develop innovative products that solved some unaddressed issues.

The idea germinated from the fact that millions of Indian women suffer from the embarrassment, unease, discomfort and shame surrounding rashes and chafing that accompanies sanitary pads, lingerie and clothes.

It is estimated that 7 out of 10 women who menstruate suffer from some form of skin irritation during their periods but they NEVER speak about it. The shame pushes them to make unjustified home remedies and makeshift solutions that further increases their suffering and unease. The SkinEasi range of products addresses these unspoken issues and brings home an effective solution in the form of unique Protective Layer Technology that no other brand has.

“When we built Rubicon, the focus on integrity was prime and hence the first function and team we set up was quality assurance”

SkinEasi is a 100% home-grown Indian brand that fulfills the unspoken needs of both men & women, & prevents a variety of skin issues arising out of exposure to friction such as chafing, rub rashes, shoe bites and bed sores. Our other brand SOREZE is a unique Bedsores prevention product widely used for bed-ridden or wheelchair bound people.

Our current brands SkinEasi and Soreze are marketed through various digital channels and we supply all our products across the country. We are soon launching SkinEasi Baby Care products with active natural ingredients and our unique Protective Layer Technology. Our research pipeline also includes a game-changing technology, in collaboration with research groups, to develop unique long-acting injectable therapies to improve patient compliance and reduce drug resistance.

At Amaterasu, we are a lean team and a virtual company. In a nutshell, the Amaterasu R&D team manages all the projects, from concept development to the actual development, validations and project management which is the crux of our work. We look for outsourcing partners to bring in the required infrastructure and expertise to execute the development of the products and technologies.

Our R&D experimentation undergoes a lot of scientific rigors. We test and check that the product meets pre-specified performance, quality and safety criteria which are critical to our consumers and patients who will use our products. We have, at times, even devised special experiments to test the performance of the product to benchmark with what is available in the market to the consumers and improve it for an enhanced consumer experience and effectiveness.

How do you keep yourself well informed and well-aligned with all the changes and evolutions that keep taking place in the pharma and tech world?

I read a lot! I think at least half a day to one day per week is when I'm reading about the scientific advances and developments across the world on products and technologies which we want to develop. I am also very active within the industry with scientific industry associations like the Controlled release society, India Chapter and contribute to their activities such as annual seminars, paper competitions to support and mentor young scientists. Until COVID-19, I used to be a part of all the major international pharmaceutical conventions and events which are great networking opportunities. This is also the place that can keep abreast of new scientific concepts and practices, products, technologies, innovations ongoing around the world.

I'm also very active on the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association at ICT and serve in various capacities and this helps me give back my time and service to my community and alma mater. I am also an advisor on the innovation council where several activities are conducted for the students. I find interest in listening to other people, how they build their businesses, especially scientific businesses are something which I find fascinating.

What would your advice be to other young women who are looking to create a promising career in the pharma industry?

I would tell all young women that today times have changed and there are ample opportunities. But you need to be self-confident and strive to work hard in order to achieve your dreams & aspirations. To me personally it is also important to behave ethically and to always try and do the right thing. There are no shortcuts to success, if you want to become a career woman, be ready to work hard and persevere. Be ambitious, positive, and keep on pushing the envelope but balance your professional and personal responsibilities so that you are really happy about your life. Use the privileges and tools available today, hire help if possible and manage your time effectively so that you can have quality time with your family. I have to acknowledge that I have had a lot of support from my husband, so look for a life partner who will support you.

In 2016, we established Amaterasu Lifesciences, where our prime focus is to develop technologies and products for healthcare and pharmaceutical use for all the stakeholders in the industry, meeting some unmet need areas. A journey that started five years ago and a journey that we will be on with the same passion and conviction in years to come, we at Amaterasu believe that we will continue to focus and evolve to make innovative products that will be a unanimous and easily made choice for the needs of our customer.