Milan Panić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milan Panić
Милан Панић
Panić in 2015
1st Prime Minister of FR Yugoslavia
In office 14 July 1992 – 9 February 1993
President	Dobrica Ćosić
Deputy	Oskar Kovač Radoje Kontić
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Radoje Kontić
1st Minister of Defence of FR Yugoslavia
In office 14 July 1992 – 2 March 1993
Prime Minister	Himself Radoje Kontić
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Pavle Bulatović
Personal details
Born	(1929-12-20) 20 December 1929 (age 95) Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Nationality	Serbian
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	DEPOS (1992) SZP (1998–2000)
Spouses	Jelica Narandžić ​ ​ (m. 1954; her death 1976)​ Sally Taylor ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1998)​ Milena Kitić ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2011)​ Alexandra Novak ​ (m. 2019)​

Milan Panić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Панић; born 20 December 1929) is a Serbian businessman, a person who helps others (a humanitarian), and a former politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1993. A prime minister is like the head of the government in a country.

During and after his time as prime minister, he worked hard for peace and democracy in the Balkan region. He also ran for President of Serbia in 1992. He came in second place to Slobodan Milošević in an election where some people questioned if it was fair. Panić was the first US citizen to hold a high political job in another country since Golda Meir. He was also the first person who was not in the military to be the Defence Minister in Serbia.

Outside of politics, Panić had a long career in making medicines and medical products. He started a company called ICN Pharmaceuticals in his garage. It grew into a huge global company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After leaving ICN, he started another company, MP Biomedicals. This company makes products for science and health all over the world.

Panić also gives money and support to many good causes through his Milan Panić Jr. Foundation. He has helped fund scholarships at places like MIT and Harvard Medical School. He has also given talks about how to build peace at universities. He supports cultural groups and charities in California.

Early life

Growing up in Serbia

Milan Panić was born on 20 December 1929 in Belgrade, which was then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His family was middle-class. His father, who worked for the government, passed away when Milan was only three years old. This meant his mother had to raise him and his sisters.

During World War II, when the Nazis occupied Belgrade, it was hard to find food. Young Milan, only 14 years old, started a vegetable farm to help his family and community. He loved geography and chemistry and even had a small lab in his room for experiments. During the war, he joined Josip "Marshal" Tito’s resistance group to fight the Nazis. After the war, he studied biochemistry and medicine at the University of Belgrade.

Cycling and moving to a new country

Panić loved cycling from when he was young. He became a Yugoslavian national champion and raced for his country's national and Olympic teams. In 1955, while going to a cycling tournament in the Netherlands, Panić and his wife, Jelica, decided to move to Austria.

Starting fresh in the United States

After moving to Austria, Panić and his wife asked for help in Germany. They lived in a refugee camp there. While in Germany, he studied at the University of Heidelberg and worked moving furniture. After a few months, they were allowed to move to the United States.

In early 1956, they moved to Fontana, California. Panić worked in labs and studied biochemistry at the University of Southern California. In 1959, he decided to start his own business, which he called the International Chemical and Nuclear Corporation (ICN).

Working for peace and public service

Prime Minister of Yugoslavia

In July 1992, Milan Panić became the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The president, Dobrica Ćosić, and the Serbian president, Slobodan Milošević, asked him to take the job. Panić had important goals: to bring peace, create a new constitution, get rid of international penalties (U.N. sanctions), and work to close places where people were held against their will.

In August 1992, he played a big part in the London International Conference. This meeting brought worldwide attention to the problems in Yugoslavia. Panić presented a twelve-point plan for peace. A month later, he gave a "Speech of Peace" at the United Nations General Assembly.

In December 1992, Panić decided to run against Milošević for the Serbian presidency. He promised to fix the economy and bring a peaceful end to the Bosnian War. He said Milošević had caused high unemployment and inflation. Panić wanted to end the country's isolation and the international penalties. He spoke directly to young people and older voters who wanted a peaceful solution. In the 1992 Serbian general election, Panić came in second. Some observers and journalists said that Milošević and his supporters had unfairly influenced the election.

Efforts for peace in Yugoslavia

After his time as prime minister, Panić continued to work for peace and democracy in the region. In 1993, he started talking with U.S. President Bill Clinton about a peace meeting for all the leaders of the former Yugoslavia. In 1994, he met with Clinton to discuss this idea further.

After more talks, the Clinton Administration held a peace conference in Ohio, USA. This meeting led to the signing of the Dayton Accords on 21 November 1995. This agreement helped end the Bosnian War by dividing Bosnia and Herzegovina into two main parts. Since the war ended, Panić has kept working for democracy in the region.

Business career

Starting ICN Pharmaceuticals

In 1959, Milan Panić started his company, ICN, in his garage near Los Angeles, California. He began with only $200. His first idea was to create chemical compounds and sell them to research labs. In the 1960s, ICN sold a common version of L-DOPA, a medicine used for Parkinson's disease.

Over the years, Panić led ICN to develop many new drug ingredients. As ICN grew, he moved the company to a new research lab and changed its name to ICN Pharmaceuticals. In 1967, ICN was officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange. This meant people could buy shares in the company.

Discovering Ribavirin

In 1972, ICN discovered a very important compound called ribavirin. This was one of the first medicines that could fight many different kinds of viruses. In 1985, ribavirin was approved as a medicine called Virazole. It was used to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a breathing illness that mostly affects children. In 1991, ICN also created a special device to give ribavirin as a mist for hospital treatments.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, ICN bought several medicine companies in Eastern Europe. In 1991, ICN bought a large part of Galenika, which was Yugoslavia's biggest drug maker. This new company, ICN-Galenika, quickly made a lot of money. In 1992, ICN Pharmaceuticals and ICN-Galenika helped pay for a program to vaccinate children in Kosovo.

Global success and leaving ICN

In 1998, Virazole was approved to treat Hepatitis C when used with another medicine. Virazole became a widely used treatment around the world for many conditions in both children and adults. It helps treat chronic Hepatitis C, several viral fevers like influenza, and other health issues.

In 2002, Panić decided to retire as the CEO and Chairman of ICN. During his time leading the company, Panić grew ICN to have annual sales of over $672 million in 90 countries. By 2001, the company had more than 600 different medicines. After Panić left, ICN Pharmaceuticals changed its name to Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.

MP Biomedicals

After leaving ICN, Panić bought a part of the company that focused on medical research and changed its name to MP Biomedicals. This company specializes in creating products for life science and medical testing. MP Biomedicals has its main office in California and operates all over the world. In 2010, Panić and MP bought a company in New Zealand that makes protein products. In 2014, a test developed by MP Diagnostics was approved for detecting a certain virus. In 2015, Panić announced that MP Biomedicals would be sold to a Chinese chemical company.

Personal life

Milan Panić supports many universities, research programs, museums, and charities through his Milan Panić Jr. Foundation. He has helped the Muscular Dystrophy Association and funded scholarships at the MIT-Harvard Medical School Program. Panić often gives talks about peace at universities like George Washington University.

He has also supported the Freedoms Foundation, where he wrote a "Bill of Responsibilities" and donated a monument in 1990. He often supports cultural groups in California, like the Los Angeles Opera, where he is a Vice Chairman. He has also given money to the City of Hope Cancer Research and Treatment Center. Panić was married to opera singer Milena Kitic, and they had a son.

Awards and honors

Milan Panić has received several awards for his work.

• In 1986, he was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
• In 1992, the Wall Street Journal Europe named him "European of the Year." They praised his efforts as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia to bring in democratic changes, work for peace, and oppose Slobodan Milošević.
• In 2002, he received the Chamber Global Award in Brussels.
• In 2015, the Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of New York gave Panić a lifetime achievement award. This was for his support of schools, cultural groups, political causes, and aid organizations around the world.

Works

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