Vaccine manufacturers meet in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD - The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufactures Network (DCVMN) started off its three-day annual meet here Tuesday to discuss strong distribution infrastructure, innovation, and strengthening of collaboration with the multilateral agencies.

The annual meeting hosted by Bharat Biotech is being attended by 125 participants from 31 vaccine manufacturers representing 14 countries 12 international agencies.

In recent times DCVMN has played a much broader role and has a greater influence in global immunization and infectious disease control initiatives. It has played a critical role in developing the immunization vision and public health strategies for the developing World, said the organisers.

The goal of the DCVMN meet is to provide an opportunity for its partners to participate in shaping a global research and development strategy. Its objective is to also analyse the current status of vaccine research and development and identify opportunities for vaccine research and development.

“DCVMN provides two third of the vaccines used in the world. It is an important partner in the global immunization agenda as its goals are aligned to Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI). Our objective is to increase participation of our members in GAVI and strengthen their interest in global networking and collaboration,” said DCVMN president Akira Homma.

Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, urged the business community and policy makers to work together to find ways to improve access to available vaccines.

He also highlighted the need to create an environment that would stimulate innovation and further research into new vaccines, particularly for neglected diseases that are endemic in the emerging markets world such as malaria, rabies and seasonal flu.