Bill
Gates visits Serum Institute, meets vaccine hero Poonawalla
Pune: Friday, June 1, 2012
Bill Gates on Thursday visited the Serum Institute of India in
Pune, met its CMD Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla whom he referred to as
one of the seven vaccine heroes, and evinced interest in several
products it is developing, “It’s great to be here and there are
many new products the Foundation is interested in,” he Microsoft
founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
said in an interaction with the media.
Gates is likely to cement ties with the Institute for developing
an injectable polio vaccine, more effective than polio drops.
Gates expressed interest in the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
vaccine being developed at the Institute. “There is a need for
cost-effective vaccines against various infectious diseases and
the Foundation is interested in several new products developed
at the Serum Institute...,” Gates said.
L-R: Bill Gates, Adar and Cyrus Poonawalla
at the Serum Institute of India