GAVI CEO Seth Berkley, MD, speaking in Hyderabad, India, praised India’s emergence as both a global vaccine supplier and a leader in vaccine science. He noted, “India is a prime example of how the vaccine landscape has changed over the past 20 years. Indian manufacturers can produce vaccines that meet high quality standards, are appropriate to specific country settings, and are offered at lower and sustainable prices through a reliable supply over time. (They) also have the capacity to engage in applied vaccine development.” Dr. Berkley’s comments came as he accepted the “Genome Valley Excellence Award,” described as a special award from the Federation of the Asian Biotech Association (FABA). The GAVI announcement noted that Dr. Berkley paid tribute to the contribution of India’s biotech sector to the explosion in vaccine research and development and the number of new vaccines currently in the pipeline for a variety of diseases. He continued, “Never before have we seen such a concentration of scientific innovations for vaccines in such a short period of time…These vaccines are set to contribute to big declines in child mortality and morbidity to allow healthy children to meet their full potential which is what it is all about. We hope to see in the coming years a vaccine against malaria and hopefully not too far in the distant future against HIV, TB and, Dengue.”

http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/gavi-features/2012/seth-berkley-india-award/