The Hindu Business Line : Indian cos in WHO pre-qualification list for vaccines

SOME Indian companies such as Bharat Biotech, Shanta Biotech, Panacea Biotec and Serum Institute are now part of the World Health Organisation's pre-qualification list.

Speaking to newspersons, Mr Alan Court, UNICEF Representative, said, "This will make these companies eligible to export the pre-qualified vaccines to other countries.

These could also be used for Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) programmes in different parts of the world."

After the third GAVI Partners' meeting, Dr Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary, GAVI, said, "The meeting anticipated that the price of saving an additional 10 million lives between 2006-2015 by vaccination is estimated at $35 billion. We estimate a shortfall of $10 billion-15 billion."

He said that the gap could be filled through innovative financing mechanism.

For instance, six European nations have agreed to support the new International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), which will be launched next year.

The donor Governments would pledge money for a period of 20 years that would enable IFFIm to raise money from the market by floating bonds.

This is expected to provide $400 million each year for the next 10 years.

While one third of $35 billion would be utilised to purchase vaccines, about $20 billion would be utilised for strengthening delivery mechanisms.

Currently about $2.5 billion is spent on immunisation programmes in the poorest countries.

This would have to be increased to $3.5 billion by 2010 and raised further to $4 billion by 2015.

India would get $100 million from GAVI during the next five years for its immunisation programme.

GAVI is also planning to increase the coverage of vaccines from the current basket of six by including newer vaccines.

Mr Court said, "Our aim is to reach more children and adopt an integrated approach like insecticide treated mosquito nets alongwith measles vaccine and giving Vitamin A supplements with polio drops so that they could reach poorest of poor in the developing world."

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