The current drug discovery paradigm in the West is constrained in what it can do, primarily due to the funding model. Here we envisage a hypothetical non-governmental, non-profit organization called the Centre for Affordable Medicine. By sourcing innovation from a network of academic and corporate partners, and working primarily in India, it could lower the cost of innovation. Funding could be from a variety of players that expect a social, not financial, return. The drugs thus developed could be licensed out to a limited number of generic pharma companies, and thus be available at generic prices immediately.