Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber presented the Eastern Eye Business of the Year Award to brothers Vijay and Bhikhu Patel of Waymade Pharmaceuticals at the first Asian Business Awards staged with a gala dinner in the Natural History Museum in London. Their business empire is worth an estimated £290m and is set to increase as the pharmaceutical industry continues to experience significant growth.
Theirs is a classic 'rags to riches' story, which started in Kenya where they struggled to survive after their father died. In 1967 they arrived in Britain and Vijay studied at night school and university and trained as a pharmacist. He opened his first shop with the aid of a loan from an uncle. His brother joined him in expanding the business to 15 shops, and in 1984 the brothers founded Waymade Healthcare, based in Basildon, Essex, and started supplying prescription medicines to pharmacies across the UK.