Milan Panić

Serbian American businessman and former politician

Milan Panić (, ; born 20 December 1929) is a Serbian American businessman, humanitarian and former politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1993. During and after his time as prime minister, he campaigned for peace and democracy in the Balkan region. He ran for President of Serbia in 1992, ultimately coming in second to Slobodan Milošević in an election marked by allegations of media and vote tampering by the ruling party. Panić became Prime Minister of Yugoslavia while an American citizen. The legality of retaining US citizenship while accepting this office has been questioned based on a Constitutional prohibition of a US citizen accepting office on behalf of a foreign nation. Panić is the first US citizen to occupy a high level political position in a foreign country since Golda Meir. Panić is also the first civilian to serve as Defence Minister in the history of Serbia. Outside of his political and humanitarian activities, Panić built a lengthy career in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. He grew ICN Pharmaceuticals from a small operation in his garage into a global pharmaceutical corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with over $672 million in annual sales across 90 countries at its peak. After retiring from ICN, he spun off an ICN subsidiary and renamed it MP Biomedicals. The company is a global producer of life science and diagnostic products, with operations in North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. In October 2015, Panić announced the pending sale of MP Biomedicals to a Chinese chemical company, Valiant Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.

Panić pursues philanthropy personally and through his Milan Panić Jr. Foundation, as well as MP Global Enterprises & Associates, LLC. As part of his philanthropic efforts, he has sponsored scholarships at the MIT Harvard Medical School Program and lectured on peacebuilding at George Washington University and University of Southern California. He is also a member of the President's cabinet at Chapman University, Vice Chairman and sponsor of the Los Angeles Opera, and frequent sponsor of California cultural institutions and charities.

Panić was born on 20 December 1929 in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (present day Serbia) into a middle class family. His father, a prominent government official, died when he was three years old, leaving Panić's mother to raise him and his sisters. Faced with a growing shortage of goods due to the Nazi occupation of Belgrade, Panić started a working vegetable farm to support his family and community. As a young student, he gravitated toward geography and chemistry, assembling a small laboratory in his room to conduct experiments. During World War II, Panić, then only 14 years old, joined Josip "Marshal" Tito’s partisan resistance to fight the growing Nazi influence in Yugoslavia. Over the course of his cycling career, he eventually rose to become a Yugoslavian national champion While traveling to an international cycling tournament in the Netherlands in 1955, Panić defected to Austria with his wife Jelica Panić (née Narandžić.) After receiving asylum in Germany several months after his initial arrival, Panić applied for a program that resettled refugees in the United States. Upon their acceptance into the program, he and Jelica moved to Fontana, California in early 1956. Panić worked in labs at Kaiser Steel and the University of Southern California, Panić set out goals of achieving peace, drafting a constitution, lifting U. N. sanctions, and pushing for the closure of concentration camps. In August 1992, he played a central role in the London International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, which called for international attention to the country's worsening economic and political situation. At the conference, Panić submitted a twelve point Plan for Peace. One month later, Panić delivered a "Speech of Peace" address in front of the United Nations General Assembly. Panić appealed directly to Serbian youth and older voters seeking a compromise in the ongoing conflict that included recognition of Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina in their current borders. In the 1992 Serbian general election, Panić came in second behind Milošević, receiving 32% of votes cast.

Following his term as prime minister, Panić stayed involved in the effort to restore peace and democracy in the region. In December 1993, he began correspondence with U. S. President Bill Clinton regarding a proposed peace summit with all heads of state of the former Yugoslavia. In 1994, he met with Clinton and his advisers in California to discuss the proposal further. The Conference culminated in the signing of the Dayton Accords on 21 November 1995, Since the end of the war, Panić has continued to push for democracy in the Yugoslav region by convening political activists and advocating in the media.

In 1959, Panić launched ICN out of his garage just outside of Los Angeles, CA using $200 in startup capital. His initial business model was built upon synthesizing chemical compounds to sell to California research labs. Panić led ICN over the following decades to develop the building blocks for several thousand potential new drugs. As ICN grew, Panić moved his operations from Pasadena, CA to a new research lab in Costa Mesa, CA and renamed the company ICN Pharmaceuticals. In 1967, ICN was officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1972, ICN discovered the ribavirin compound, the earliest recorded broad spectrum antiviral agent. Chemists Joseph T. Witkovski and Ronald K. Robins were integral to the compound's creation. In 1985, ribavirin was approved under the name Virazole by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an upper respiratory tract disease that primarily affects children. In 1985, ICN and the Eastman Kodak company launched a six year, $45 million joint venture to research drugs that slow, halt, or reverse the aging process. ICN settled with the FDA in 1991. In January 1988, ICN acquired 7.3% of Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffman La Roche, as part of a reported acquisition strategy to expand ICN's reach and marketing capabilities. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, ICN acquired multiple pharmaceutical firms in Eastern Europe. In May 1991, ICN bought 75% of Galenika, Yugoslavia's largest drug maker at the time. After eight months, the new subsidiary ICN Galenika was producing revenues of $364 million. In April 1992, ICN Pharmaceuticals and ICN Galenika partially financed a $100,000 initiative to vaccinate children in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. In 1995, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated ICN over shareholder concerns related to Mr. Panić's sale of company stock before a key regulatory decision by the FDA. After a three year investigation, the SEC dropped its inquiry in 1998 with no charges filed.

In 1998, the FDA approved Virazole for the treatment of Hepatitis C in conjunction with another medication called interferon. multiple viral fevers including influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, measles, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and Lassa fever, as well as renal impairment and thyroid cancer. During the 1990s, Panić resolved four sexual harassment suits filed by former employees of ICN. In 2002, ICN settled an SEC civil lawsuit related to misleading statements issued regarding their products. Panić decided to retire as CEO and Chairman of ICN in June 2002 after opposing shareholders took control of ICN's Board of Directors. Over the course of his career as Chairman, CEO, and President, Panić led ICN to annual sales in 90 countries exceeding $672 million (USD), with over 600 drugs in its portfolio by his final year in 2001. Panić maintains other business entities and investments both in the U. S. and internationally. In 2003, after Panić's departure, ICN Pharmaceuticals changed its name to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.

After retiring from ICN, Panić bought a bioassay subsidiary of ICN Biomedicals and changed its name to MP Biomedicals. MP specializes in research and development of life science and diagnostic products. MP's global headquarters is located in Santa Ana, California, with its US headquarters and central distribution center located in Solon, Ohio. The company maintains global operations in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. On 14 June 2010, Panić and MP acquired ICPBio International LTD., a New Zealand based protein biologics manufacturing company. On 11 December 2014, the FDA approved MP Diagnostics HTLV Blot 2.4, the first FDA licensed supplemental test for Human T cell Lymphotropic Virus I/II (HTLV I/II). In October 2015, Panić announced the sale of MP Biomedicals to China based Valiant Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd., a developer of chemical products. and sponsored scholarships at the MIT Harvard Medical School Program. Panić has provided support to the Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, PA, penning the Bill of Responsibilities and donating a Bill of Responsibilities Monument to their headquarters in 1990. He is a frequent supporter of California cultural institutions including the Los Angeles Opera, where he serves as a Vice Chairman Panić was married to mezzo soprano opera singer Milena Kitic before the couple divorced; together they had a son.

Panić was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation on 27 October 1986. He was named "European of the Year" in 1992 by the Wall Street Journal Europe, which cited his efforts while serving Yugoslavian Prime Minister to introduce democratic, free market reforms, bring peace, and galvanize opposition to Slobodan Milošević. Panić was presented the Chamber Global Award by the Chamber of Commerce Belgium Luxembourg South Eastern Europe in Brussels on 17 December 2002. In February 2015, the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of New York awarded Panić with a lifetime achievement award for his philanthropic support of academic, cultural, political, and relief organizations around the world.

Prime Minister for Peace: My Struggle for Serbian Democracy. With Kevin C. Murphy. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield., 2015.