About the GAVI Alliance

• The GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) is a public-private global health partnership dedicated to “immunisation for all”. 
• GAVI’s strategy supports its mission to save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. 
• Its partners provide funding for vaccines and intellectual resources for care advancement. 
• They contribute, also, to strengthening the capacity of the health system to deliver immunisation and other health services in a sustainable manner.

About Serum Institute of India (SII)

• Serum Institute of India is a private manufacturer of immunobiological drugs including vaccines in India.
• Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.5 billion doses) which includes Polio vaccine as well as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines.
• Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs.

Why in News?

Serum Institute of India has announced that it has entered into a new partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of upto 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

GAVI in Covid-19 pandemic

• GAVI co-leads COVAX – a program to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccine when available.
• Gavi had launched the Gavi Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Gavi Covax AMC) in June. 
• This is a new financing instrument aimed at incentivising vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines, and to ensure access for developing countries.
• The Gavi Covax AMC was launched with an initial goal of raising US$ 2 billion; enough for Gavi-supported countries to immunise healthcare workers as well as high-risk individuals.

References:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/serum-institute-to-make-up-to-100-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-for-india-low-income-countries-by-2021/article32295855.ece
2. https://www.who.int/workforcealliance/members_partners/member_list/gavi/en/
3. https://www.seruminstitute.com/about_us.php