Serum Institute of India (SIIL) and Dutch vaccine maker Bilthoven Biologicals have endeavoured to support the Programme to reach the Global Polio Eradication Initiative [GPEI] Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, by substantially reducing the price of IPV from the prevailing price available in the market, in the recent tender bid with UNICEF.

This is for the first time that the two companies have joined hands together to make IPV available to UNICEF at a subsidized rate, which resulted in triggering a global reduction in price of IPV.

Dr Roeland van Dam, CEO of Bilthoven Biologicals announced the reduction in IPV price for the first time compared to the prevailing price of IPV, solely due to the financial subsidization of the cost provided by Serum Institute of India. This has been achieved with the objective of providing vaccines to the poorer countries of the world.
 
Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla, chairman of Serum Institute of India, stated that he was proud to support the IPV programme to reach the GPEI Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, in keeping with his commitment to the World Health Organization to make available polio vaccine as affordable as possible. With the R&D efforts that are put in, he is confident that the price of IPV will further reduce in the future.
 
Both Bilthoven Biologicals and Serum Institute of India continue their efforts to develop their production both in numbers and reduction in price for the future, which benefit they expect to pass on [as they have done several times in the past] to the poorer countries requiring vaccine for moving towards the GPEI Endgame Stragetic Plan 2013-2018.
 
Recently Serum Institute of India has stepped-in to resolve the acute shortage of hundreds of million doses of OPV, required by the UN Agencies, at short notice and at affordable prices, thus mitigating a polio vaccine availability crisis.
 
It would be relevant to note that Bilthoven Biologicals has not only offered a special price for the poorer countries compared to their past price, but extended this uniformly to all other 120 countries which were equally in need of this vaccine to be introduced for achieving the GPEI Endgame Stragetic Plan 2013-2018.
Serum Institute (SIIL) under the umbrella of the Poonawalla group- fully owned by Cyrus Poonawalla, has emerged as the largest exporter of vaccines and immuno-biologicals with its products being exported to more than 130 countries across the globe. Trusted as a reliable source of quality vaccines it has won worldwide recognition and supplies to International Health Agencies like the WHO, UNICEF, PAHO.
 
The company’s unparallel service standards and extraordinary vision has resulted in several acknowledgments and appreciation from International agencies, local governments and awards from trade authorities.
 
SIIL offers curative as well as preventive medicines in niche segments such as measles, MMR, rubella, rabies, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza type B (HiB) and DTP, among others. They boast of state-of-the art manufacturing facilities for production of vaccines and formulations in Pune. Its manufacturing facilities comply with the international standards of United States Food & Drug Administration (US FDA) and World Health Organisation (WHO).
 
SIIL has recently set up Serum Bio Pharma Park, India's first biotech Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The Park is adjoining Serum Institute's existing manufacturing unit and is a sector-specific SEZ meant for biotechnology and pharmaceutical products.