Ask any AIDS activist or health official which personality springs to mind when you mention the pharmaceutical industry – the so-called big bad wolf, the face of the industry – and nine out of ten times, the name Mirryena Deeb will be forthcoming.

But is it a fair assumption, or has Mirryena Thereza Deeb become the hired gun, a decoy or a willing and perhaps ambitious spokesperson for the multi-billion dollar industry?

Deeb, Chief Executive of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’€™ Association (PMA) of SA since 1995, has not endeared herself to many South Africans, especially government with her tough, uncompromising stance against efforts to produce cheaper generics or import affordable medication for the millions who can’€™t afford even the most basic medicine.

“I’€™m very proud to represent the research based industry, because it’€™s a industry of hope, it’€™s an industry of the future, in spite of all its warts and the criticisms leveled against it,” says Deeb, sitting in the plush PMA offices in Midrand.

An award winning health journalist, LLB graduate, classical pianist and former editor of the Lebanese community magazine, Deeb joined the Financial Mail in 1988, where she stayed for seven years.

“It was really a dream for me to work there,” says Deeb.

“My family were absolutely hysterical. They were baffled as to how I could do an LLB and now be happy to go and do profiles of other people at the FM, but I thought this was wonderful,” Deeb chuckles.

Towards the end of 1995 Deeb made a decision to resign to spend more time with her two boys.

“I resigned, but on the basis that I was going to consult (legal), but I was also going to continue writing. The editor, who was Nigel Bruce at the time, offered me a promotion when I resigned,” says Deeb, who was an associate editor when she left.

But during her last days at the Financial Mail, Deeb chaired a roundtable discussion on the way forward for healthcare.

Her path crossed that of the president of the PMA and as they say in the movies, the rest is history.

At the age of 33 Deeb was appointed as Chief Executive of the PMA, a trade organisation representing over 40 research based pharmaceutical companies in South Africa.

“I found myself exactly where I didn’€™t want to be at the time, in very full-time, responsible job.

“Unfortunately my boys have now become used to being dropped off at school while I’€™m busy doing an interview on national radio. They blow me a kiss because they know they’€™re not allowed to make a noise.

“And I sort of almost feel like Cruella de Ville’€¦”

This reference to herself is one that many of her detractors would revel in, but what is Deeb’€™s vision for the future? Does her vision for the pharmaceutical industry match the profile of a Cruella de Ville, or is it more compassionate?

“We want to treat HIV and for those whom we believe it’€™s beyond their cost, we’€™ll make sure there is an affordable package, whether it’€™s a combination of lowest prices, donations or good preferential prices, we would do that,” she responds.

“None of us are under any illusions that we have the magic bullet. It doesn’€™t help if we just say to government here you are, it’€™s yours, we’€™re delivering at the airport. That’€™s only the beginning of the challenge,” says a defiant Deeb.

Deeb points out that the Southern African Development Community has acknowledged that infra-structure capacity building, education and security of the distribution chain, are all issues that are essential before a government can seriously say it wants to treat with anti-retroviral therapy.

“(The South African) government have gone a step further of course and said we must also be responsible for all of those issues,” Deeb retaliates.

“And of course we say on the AIDS issue that we’€™ll do our bit, but the message has got to start with government that they want to do something about it.

“What we do resent is that the whole burden appears to be placed onto us.

And they’€™re (government) saying fine we expect you to innovate the medicine, to bring it to the market safely and then we expect you to just give over your patents to do it.”

Trying to profile Deeb is not easy and she does manage to incorporate the industry’€™s view in every answer.

But does she resent being the target of government and the AIDS treatment activists, who describe her as a “hired gun” – there to take the attention away from the companies?

Zackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) clearly finds Deeb a frustrating figure.

“She doesn’t listen to the arguments, she simply chants a mantra defending the interests of the drug companies,” says Achmat, who is living with HIV.

But at a personal level, his approach is conciliatory, “I always hug her and kiss her when we meet.”

Deeb meets the descriptions with a wry smile and a measured response.

“Look I don’€™t resent them (activists) targeting me at all. I’€™m here to take the flack for the industry so they can get on with producing high quality medicines.

“I have never felt their attacks are personal, against me Mirryena Deeb.

“In fact I have an amicable relationship, believe it or not with Zackie Achmat, we can sit down together and have a cup of tea,” she giggles.

“I have a great deal of respect for them, a great deal of patience,” she says.

Has Deeb been confronted with AIDS on a personal level?

She hesitates before responding: “I’€™ve got friends who have got relatives. I personally have been confronted with it when in December I spent a day with children at an orphanage and it’€™s awful, it’€™s absolutely awful,” she says.

Pushed on her personal relationship with government, Deeb’€™s speech becomes more measured.

“At the moment my relationship with Government is unfortunately strained

Government has elected to treat us as the enemy in too many respects. One has to accept that government doesn’€™t take well to criticism

“It’€™s almost as if you’€™re against us on one issue, we perceive you to be against us on all issues.

“And nothing could be further from the truth.”

A member of parliament’€™s health portfolio committee describes Deeb as someone who does not listen. “She only listens to herself and no amount of explaining or commonsense can shift that woman from her position.”

Deeb believes that her relationship with government is strained because “they expect us to say fine patents are no longer important.

“And we can’€™t do that because we believe it is bad in law, not because it’€™s going to bring in cheaper medicines, which I don’€™t believe it will or that we’€™re trying to go against their policy.

Deeb believes that “everybody” with an agenda, open or secretive, has manipulated the situation to suit their own ends

“Whereas I believe the government only has the interests of the broader population in mind when they talk about wanting to access cheaper medicine, I believe they are deliberately being fed misinformation about how this can be achieved by a group of people who I believe are nothing more than the unofficial salespeople for the pirate industry.”

Which brings one to Deeb’€™s relationship with the health ministers.

“Dr Zuma (previous minister) and I had strong differences of opinion on policy, but we always managed a cordial relationship

“The new minister (Dr Tshabalala-Msimang) promised to bring a fresh approach to the whole aspect.

“She and I worked together for several months, but unfortunately the advisors to the first minister did everything to justify the stance they had taken – they had built their careers on bashing industry and they went out of their way to sow distrust, to feed misinformation.”

But Deeb is quick to point out that she has “ultimate respect for the enormity of the challenges facing this government, but I firmly believe that they have had bad advice, poor advice and malicious advice in some instances.”

And is Deeb’€™s goal to emerge victorious from the looming court case.

“It’€™s not to win the court case. We certainly don’€™t want a victory over government.

“I could be on the court steps and if the Government wants to settle or negotiate ‘€“ we’€™ll bend over more than backward to accommodate them.

“At the end of the day there will be no winners, only losers and the ultimate losers will be the people of South Africa if we can’€™t work together within an atmosphere of trust.”