India commits US$4m over four years to Gavi Alliance
India has the largest number of unimmunised children in the world
India has committed to contributing US$4m over the next four years to the Gavi Alliance to immunise children worldwide against life-threatening diseases.
Gavi Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) is a public and private partnership of members, including the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The UK remains Gavi’s biggest supporter, pledging $2.16bn for the next five years. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's $1.55bn, and $1bn from the US make up the top three, although the US's commitment is only until 2018.
China has also pledged support for Gavi, promising to contribute $5m over the next five years, and all the BRICS donors are now contributing to the alliance.
Seth Berkley, Chief Executive at Gavi Alliance, said India had become a donor to Gavi for the first time last year when an agreement was inked with the Finance Ministry to donate $4m over the next four years.
India has the largest number of unimmunised children in the world. It is Gavi’s largest supplier of vaccines, with 55% of its vaccines coming from the region. Now it is also a donor. India has been receiving support for its immunisation programme from Gavi since 2002.
Biological E, a Hyderabad-based vaccines major, has also decided to pledge a five-year price commitment to Gavi graduated countries. This aims to ensure that such countries would have access to affordable prices comparable to Gavi eligible ones, the company said.
Biological E had earlier reduced the price of its pentavalent vaccine by 30% to increase access. Together with the Gates Foundation, Gavi and Unicef, Biological E took the decision to reduce the price of this vaccine.
In a bid to increase access to immunisation, Gavi has also chosen Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices, an Indian company, as one of its knowledge and strategic partners to promote injection safety around the world.
The company is India's largest indigenous medical devices manufacturer, and with Star Syringe, UK, inked an innovative multi million dollar partnership to promote injection safety around the world during WEF-Davos.
