The Hindu Business Line : India could become a hub for vaccine production: PM

INDIA could play a leadership role in generating low cost, effective, easy-to-deliver vaccines which can reach our vast hinterland, said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.

Inaugurating the third Global Alliance on Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI) Partners' meeting, Dr Singh said that India has some of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world. "India supplies more than 60 per cent of the world's requirement of basic vaccines procured by UNICEF. This is made possible due to our ability to produce quality vaccines at reasonable rates, affordable by many developing countries."

Highlighting the role of Indian companies in making the anti-AIDS drugs affordable globally, Dr Singh said that India could become the hub for vaccine production for the developing world.

Mr Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft and Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said, "GAVI would have to develop a careful investment strategy to accelerate and catalyse the vaccine programme." Norway, meanwhile, announced a 66 per cent increase in its donation to $75 million. Mr Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway, said that the contribution would be kept at this level till 2015; bringing Norway's total support for global immunisation to about $1 billion.

The Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, hoped that the Global Alliance would provide the necessary support as before to extend the coverage to 11 States in the country. The Minister highlighted the need for developing newer and more effective vaccines. It is envisaged that the on-going research for the development of safe and effective vaccines against major diseases such as malaria, HIV, rota virus and so on, would help the global community in combating these deadly diseases at affordable cost.

The UNICEF Executive Director and Chair of the Board of the GAVI Alliance, Ms Ann Veneman, said an additional 1.1 million lives could be saved with access to under-utilised vaccines that can protect children against preventable diseases such as pneumonia, measles and tetanus.

The three-day GAVI meeting, which will try to chalk out future strategies concerning vaccines and immunisation, marks the launch of phase-II programme of the alliance to cover more children. A Vaccine Fund has been created to provide additional financial support for achieving the immunisation goals.

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