Davos/New Delhi:
Now that the world has largely moved away from broader concerns about COVID – it's something that will never really go away – it's also time to focus on new vaccines that could change the lives of a huge number of people around the world. The Serum Institute of India (SII) is a world leader in making vaccines.
CEO Adar Poonawalla spoke to NDTV on a range of issues, including the vaccine against malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos.
'I just want to say that I really hate mosquitoes. They kill more people than any other animal on the planet, with all the various mosquito-borne diseases from dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and malaria. So with that in mind, post-COVID I've kind of focused our investments and partnerships with various companies on making vaccines against malaria, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. Those other vaccines are still about two years away from being launched,” Mr Poonawalla told NDTV.
The Pune-based company's malaria vaccine has already been deployed in Africa. It has an efficacy of 77 percent, “which is very good,” he said.
“The malaria vaccine is already starting to protect children in Africa. Right now with the Gavi replenishment, where they need to raise billions of dollars for various vaccine programs in Africa, the challenge is to get enough financing to achieve the kind of vaccine coverage and scale up the volumes to be delivered and purchased,” said Mr. Poonawala, referring to the Gavi vaccine alliance that is working to increase fair and sustainable use of vaccines worldwide.
On whether cost is an issue, Mr Poonawalla said this is an area where the Indian company played a major role.
“This malaria vaccine from other manufacturers in the West was offered at $10, $8 to $10. We have reduced that price to $4,” he told NDTV. “So that's a reduction of more than 50 percent, just for the purpose of providing more access to more kids who can handle it now, while budgets are under pressure and all that.”
Worries about no US funding
Mr Poonawalla expressed concern over the withdrawal of US funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) by new US President Donald Trump, and stressed the importance of multilateral institutions such as the WHO in maintaining global standards for medicines.
“I hope this is only temporary and they look at it again because multilateral organizations like WHO play a very crucial role in maintaining and supporting global standards for medicines and vaccines,” Poonawalla said.
Even with U.S. money for the WHO, other countries can work together to bridge the gap, which “is not a huge amount.”
“We have appealed to leaders and others here [Davos] to go a step further to bridge that gap; $500 million is not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things for others to join in and contribute. I am confident that WHO is already making plans to ensure that all their crucial programs, such as pre-qualifying and approving vaccines and enforcing standards for vaccines and other medicines, are not affected,” said the Mr Poonawalla. aspects of what WHO does, because all these other countries adhere to their quality standards and recommendations.”
He said there could be some impact on vaccine and pharmaceutical companies if the funding gap is not addressed. “I am confident that WHO will focus on their key areas and priorities so that nothing takes a step back. It's too early to say, but I don't see a big impact at the moment.”
Vaccines in the pipeline
Mr Poonawalla said the malaria vaccine works on falciparum, a species of the parasite Plasmodium that causes malaria and is found in Africa. The vivax is another species of the parasite that is common in India, but there is currently no vaccine for it, he said. With some technological advances, a vaccine could be developed within a few years.
'In the meantime, we will have a chikungunya vaccine in a year and a half, which is again a serious problem in India. And also with climate change, we've seen a drastic increase in all these mosquito-borne viruses. because when you do construction work in this part of the world, you have water bodies that become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. You have climate change, where even a difference of a few degrees can increase the reproduction of some of these mosquito species,” Mr Poonawalla told NDTV.
He said the dengue vaccine will come in just over two years; it will be a one-shot vaccine and will not require multiple doses.
“There are not many manufacturers making these vaccines because they are usually all sold at a very low price. It is therefore not commercially interesting for most pharmaceutical companies to make these vaccines. That is where we and the Serum Institute play a very important role,” said Mr. Poonawalla.
The five-day meeting in Davos that started on Monday will explore how to restart growth, leverage new technologies and strengthen social and economic resilience, the World Economic Forum said. Nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries, including 350 heads of government, are participating in the global meeting.
India's participation in Davos aims to strengthen partnerships, attract investments and position the country as a global leader in sustainable development and technological innovation. India sent five Union ministers, three chief ministers and ministers from several other states to the WEF this time.
