Marc Koska-A Social Entrepreneur on a Mission to `Auto-Disable` a Hidden Medical Crisis
| Case Code: LDEN235 Case Length: 16 Pages Period: 1983-2024 Pub Date: 2025 Teaching Note: Available |
Price: Rs.400 Organization : ApiJect Systems Corp Industry :Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Countries : United Kingdom Themes: Social Entrepreneurship, New Product Development, Advocacy Campaigns,Disruption |
Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts
Excerpts
What Koska Learned
Koska’s journey around the world made him aware of several several interesting facts about syringe re-use. He came across research which showed that when the needle of a syringe was withdrawn from an infected patient’s body, the syringe carried microscopic droplets of blood that could potentially carry bacteria..
The Innovative and Affordable Syringe
While contemplating the problem of syringe reuse, Koska determined that the best way to stop disease transmission through syringes was to stop the usage of reusable syringes or even disposable ones that could be recycled. Koska then concluded that there was a critical need to change the way syringes were manufactured and believed that he needed to develop a new syringe that could not be reused..
Striving to Get The Syringes Adopted
Koska thought that his uniquely designed and affordable product would be widely welcomed. To his dismay, on the contrary, he faced an uphill battle in getting the “K1” syringe adopted by the medical community. He revealed that several traditional syringe manufacturers understood the need for such a syringe, but did not think the demand would be adequate for them to recover their investment after..
To Bring About Worldwide Change – Safepoint
Over the years, Koska continued to travel across the world to meet health leaders worldwide and urged them to take stronger measures to make ADS, the de facto syringes. By the mid-2000s, Koska claimed that his syringes had been able to save well over 5.5 million lives. In 2006, recognizing his contribution to global healthcare, Koska was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE)..
Winning The ‘Who’ Mandate
In 2015, Koska met Margaret Chan (Chan), Director General of the WHO, at a conference and convinced her to promote the use of ADS by making its use a part of WHO policy. Koska said, “She (Chan..
Koska’s Continuous Endeavor
Koska thought that the strong political leadership and influence exerted by international health organizations had helped pushed the adoption of ADS for vaccines, but there were not enough incentives for the medical fraternity to shift to ADS for curative purposes. Koska then altered his perspective and pondered on why health workers used syringes – to insert them into a glass vial, draw the correct amount of liquid (medicine, vaccine, etc.), and then introduce it into a person’s body. Koska figured out that to ensure totally safe injections – he not only had to prevent the usage of traditional syringes, but to also stop the usage of the syringe’s most vital companion – the 10-dose glass vials..
Commercializing The New Venture
Even though Koska had developed an innovative and affordable product, he knew that he did not have the requisite business experience to develop and scale a global business. With this in mind, he began looking out for a business person who had succeeded in his ventures and had enough global health knowledge. He then zeroed in on world renowned inventor and TEDMED Conference curator, Walker, with whom he was already acquainted..
The Plan Ahead
By the early 2020s, having spent 30 years in the field promoting his syringes, Koska was a recognized expert in the field. He had received honorary doctorates from Brighton University and the University of Sussex. In addition, he had received several awards for his contribution including The Economist’s Innovation Award and the Fogarty Institute for Innovation’s Tech Award..
Exhibits
Exhibit I: The “K1” Syringe
Exhibit II: WHO Statistics on Contamination through Syringe Reuse
Exhibit III: About Uniject
Exhibit IV: ApiJect Prefilled Injector
Exhibit V: Comparing the Total Cost per Dose of Vaccine Delivery of Various Formats
Exhibit VI: ApiJect Prefilled Injector with RFID Chip
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