.png)
In part 1 of my conversation with Earvin "Magic" Johnson, we discuss his investment in Alchemy, his personal journey as a person living with HIV, and the critical role pharmacy access plays in addressing on-going treatment barriers in low income communities.
Sid Viswanathan: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Andreessen Horowitz, and Alchemy. Now that's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
Earvin “Magic” Johnson: A very nice ring.
Sid: First off, Magic, I want to welcome you officially to the Alchemy team. We are honored to be working with you on this next chapter of our business. I want to start by asking you, what made you decide to invest in Alchemy?
Magic: Well, for me, after leaving basketball, I built Magic Johnson Enterprises and made sure that we're a company that made money and built a successful business. And then I started the Magic Johnson Foundation. And this Foundation, we targeted first the Black and Brown community, making sure we raised the awareness level of HIV and AIDS in those communities.
So when we came together and I saw what Alchemy was already doing in terms of HIV prevention and care for those same people in the low income areas, it was a natural fit because we were already doing some of those things. And so coming together, being aligned with each other and wanting to improve the health of all people living in those disadvantaged areas was just a win-win for everybody.
Together we know that we can build a successful business. That's the key, right? We want to care for people living with HIV, we want to talk to them about prevention, but also to, at the same time, build a successful business.
Sid: As founders, we get started, we dream big in the beginning, and I remember Peter, Susie, and I, we were sitting down thinking about, who's our wish list of folks we'd like to work with? We had some names on the list, and then we had a separate list just for Magic Johnson on that list, and we put that aside because we didn't know Magic Johnson, we didn't know how to get to you. And then you know, our guy, Chris at Andreessen Horowitz, he put in the call to Christina and then Christina got us set up on a Zoom and now here we are today.
Magic, you invest in and look at hundreds of businesses every single year. You also have a very personal tie to the mission of what Alchemy does. You know better than anyone, the importance of having access to your essential medicines and taking your HIV meds every single day. When you looked at Alchemy, what stood out to you about our model?
Magic: Well. Sid, it's all about the founders, right? Yourself, Peter, Susie. I mean, look at your track record of running and operating pharmacies. That was important because we're in that business, right? And then Peter and Susie building the largest HIV program in the world in Africa. I know you have the experience, the knowledge and the know-how, and you come together with Magic Johnson's brand, and what we've been doing in the Foundation, it's the dream team. We want to help a lot of people, and at the same time, educate a lot of people about HIV, and care for those same people who have been overlooked.
Pharmacies are not in their community, their neighborhood. So now we're going to bring that to them, and give them the best care they've ever had and then talk to them about raising awareness levels and educating them on HIV. But, the key here is building a successful business and we can do that together. That's why we're the dream team.
Sid: Magic, when you came out with your diagnosis, you were critical in bringing awareness to HIV and breaking down some of the barriers and stigma around the disease. Have you faced any personal challenges? Have you experienced discrimination yourself or stigma in your personal life, and what advice would you have for others that are facing that today?
Magic: That's a great question Sid. Yes, I faced discrimination, racism as well. Even though I was Magic Johnson. When I wanted to come back and play basketball in the NBA, I faced that among the players and some of the fans as well. I remember a lot of people who I used to high five and hug weren't sure if they could hug me anymore or high five me. So, I had to do a lot of educating when I first announced 32 years ago now.
When I think about the people who are getting discriminated against even today, first, you gotta love yourself. You gotta love yourself. You have to adapt and adjust to your newfound situation, which is living with HIV and AIDS. You have to understand that this is your new life forever, and be comfortable with that. Your new status. Then you gotta take your meds. You got to stay on that regimen of taking your meds.
I would say that if you do those things, live with a positive attitude, you're going to be okay. Because people are going to talk. They're going to say what they're going to say. But you're going to have - which is very important - a support system. You're going to have that. If you can't find it at home, and if you can't find it among your friends, there's so many different organizations that will give you that. So make sure you have a good support system, like I did, and that's why I'm still living here 32 years later.
I think about President Bush's HIV and AIDS Commission that I joined. But I found out they were not doing good work. They had a hospice that I went to in Boston that had 30 something beds, but there was only one patient in it, because it was so hard for those who were living with HIV to get in because of the paperwork. That really discouraged me and really disappointed me. And I didn't want to be on the Commission anymore. That's why I started Magic Johnson Foundation and doing all the good work that I'm doing today.
Sid: For those that are maybe wondering, how does Magic Johnson get his medications today? And what has your personal journey been with health care and pharmacy in America today?
Magic: Well, for me, see, it's easier, right? Because I am Magic Johnson. And so I don't want to tell people it was difficult for me because I'll be lying to them.
Let's go back. Elizabeth Glaser saved my life. She was dying at that time. At that time there was only one drug, now we have about 40 drugs that take care of people who are living with HIV. She said, “Earvin there are a lot of great drugs coming down the pipeline”. And she was right, and I had access to those drugs.
Now, people who live in these low income areas, they're not Magic Johnson. They don't have the financial means I had. So it's important for them to have access, so these pharmacies are going to be important. Then it's important that we educate them on what it means for them, what the drugs are going to do for them, and also make sure that they take their meds.
We want to continue to educate them how important that is. Because my first problem was we were not educated. A lot of misinformation was going out in the Black and Brown community. So we helped solve that problem and got them the right information. The second problem we had, they had the drugs or the meds, but they didn't take them. So then we had to make sure we educate them. Hey, you may be feeling good. Your T-cell count may be high, but you still got to take your meds because a lot of people who were Black were dying because they thought they were feeling good. And they were not taking their meds.
The last challenge for the Black and Brown community is that the pharmacies were a long way away. None are in the community. And that's where we're going to come in. We're going to solve that problem for so many people. And so that's why this is a great partnership. Because there's a major problem in the Black community and the Brown community. We have to drive so far to get our meds and that's discouraging for a lot of people. And so if we put it right in the community, they will come and we will have a really solid business.
Pharmacies are not in their community, their neighborhood. So now we're going to bring that to them, and give them the best care they've ever had and then talk to them about raising awareness levels and educating them on HIV. But, the key here is building a successful business and we can do that together. That's why we're the dream team.
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
Chairman and CEO, Magic Johnson Enterprises
.jpg)
.png)
