Web Desk
Under a new supply agreement with the UNICEF, the Serum Institute of India will now supply ten million doses of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to prevent severe pneumonia.
As part of the agreement, the institute has decreased the price of pneumonia vaccine for lower income countries across the world. This vaccine pneumococcal conjugate protects against the leading cause of pneumonia for $2 per dose.
The Pune-based Serum Institute of India is the main producer of immunobiological drugs, including vaccines.
According to the UNICEF report, pneumonia is the biggest single killer of children and the pneumococcus bacterium is a significant reason for morbidity and mortality around the world. Most of these deaths occur in lower income countries and claimed the life of a child under the age of 2 every 39 seconds.
Under the agreement, the Indian company will give 10 million PCV doses to Gavi (the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) countries every year for the next 10 years.
