Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla being presented with the inaugural Vaccine
Hero award by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gavi Board Chair, and Dr.
Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO, at Gavi’s mid-term review in Abu Dhabi
held on December 10 2018.
ABU DHABI, 10 December 2018 - Dr Cyrus
Poonawalla, Founder of Serum Institute of India (SII) and Chairman
of Poonawalla Group, has been given the first ever Vaccine Hero
award by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The Vaccine Hero award was inaugurated to celebrate global figures
whose dedication to the Vaccine Alliance's mission has played a key
role in helping Gavi and its partners to protect hundreds of
millions of children across the world.
"Since Gavi's inception Cyrus has been a steadfast supporter of
Gavi's mission," said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance. "Under his leadership Serum has become the largest
supplier of vaccines to the developing world, protecting hundreds of
millions of children in the world's poorest countries against killer
diseases like measles, diphtheria and meningitis. Gavi simply would
not have had the impact we've had without them. He is a worthy
winner of this inaugural Vaccine Hero award."
"I am truly humbled to receive this recognition for the humanitarian
work that we have been doing at Serum Institute for the last five
decades," said Dr Cyrus Poonawalla. "it is recognition such as
today's that gives me and my team the strength to commit and
continue the humanitarian work by making available immunobiologicals
and vaccines at the most affordable prices to support the great
efforts made by Gavi and other UN Agencies worldwide, especially now
for much needed newer vaccines, such as Pneumonia, Rotavirus,
Meningitis, HPV and Dengue."
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla founded Serum Institute of India in 1966 and
built it into the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume,
supplying more than one billion doses of vaccines per year to
children in 170 countries around the world at affordable prices.
SII now supplies 40% of the vaccines funded by Gavi. Over the
Alliance's 2016-2020 strategic period, SII will provide more than
half a billion doses for Gavi-supported vaccine programmes
protecting children against nine diseases - measles, rubella,
meningitis A, rotavirus and, through pentavalent vaccine,
diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus influenza type B and
hepatitis B. So far SII has distributed more than 18 billion doses
of different vaccines and an estimated 25 million lives have been
saved because of these vaccines.
The award was presented at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi as part of Gavi's
mid-term review, a high-level conference celebrating Gavi's progress
and impact in the world's poorest countries. By the end of 2018,
Gavi will have contributed to the immunization of 700 million people
and the prevention of more than 10 million future deaths. This has
contributed to acceleration in the decline of global under-five
mortality rates and brought wider impact beyond immunization.
Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi
CEO, presents Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla with the inaugural Vaccine
Hero award at Gavi's mid-term review in Abu Dhabi.
About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed
to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by
increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The
Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor
governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank,
the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi
uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by
recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate
supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the
immunisation of nearly 700 million children and the prevention of 10
million future deaths.