Covishield maker SII to set up CoE for infectious diseases, pandemic readiness research

HYDERABAD: The Serum Institute of India announced the establishment of a Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness in Hyderabad on Sunday. The Indian Institute of Public Health in Hyderabad would house this centre.

The CoE is being established to provide the community with a centralised site for information, resources, and support during public health emergencies. The centre would be staffed by qualified healthcare professionals and would be outfitted with cutting-edge technology and resources.

The center would serve as a hub for public health education, outreach, and response efforts during outbreaks of infectious diseases. It would provide real-time information and updates on current epidemics, as well as offer resources and support for those who have been affected.

The Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH-H) is one of five institutions established by the Public Health Foundation of (PHFI) across the country, to strength health systems for better planning and performance and also align multi-sectoral policies and programmes to public health objectives. IIPH-H is engaged in on-campus and off-campus degree and diploma programmes of multidisciplinary education, customised training aligned to national health programmes, health systems and implementation research, technical support to state and national governments as well as community health engagement. IIPH-H is guided by a distinguished Board chaired by Srini Raju.

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, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella as well as Pneumococcal and Covid-19 vaccines. Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world. Read more on https://www.seruminstitute.com/ .

While the discussion for this center started at the KT Rama Rao’s meeting with Adar Poonawalla, CEO – Serum Institute of India during the World Economic Forum in Davos in May 2022, the announcement of this center was made after Minister KT Rama Rao’s virtual meeting with Adar Poonawalla, CEO – Serum Institute of India, on Sunday.

Jayesh Ranjan IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Dept. and Shakthi M Nagappan, Director Lifesciences, Government of Telangana were also present during the meeting.

Minister K.T. Rama Rao said: "The opening of this Center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness marks a significant step forward in our efforts to protect the health and well-being of our community. By centralizing our resources and expertise, we can ensure a quick and effective response to any public health emergency. Through this investment, I am delighted to welcome Serum Institute of India (SII), which is the largest vaccine manufacturer, to the city of Hyderabad that is regarded the vaccine capital of the world”.

Adar C. Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India said, “The Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla center of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness will offer a , variety of services, including: Public health education and outreach, Monitoring and tracking of infectious diseases, Coordination of response efforts with local healthcare providers, Provision of information and support for individuals and families affected by epidemic and Telangana is dedicated to providing its residents with a high quality of life and a bright future.”

Prof. Srinath Reddy, Indian Institute of Public Health Hyderabad said, “The Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness will help to strengthen India’s capacity to anticipate, avert and attenuate pandemic threats through improved prevention, prediction, preparation and prompt response. Other infectious diseases of concern too will be addressed through a public health guided multi-sectoral response. PHFI welcomes this initiative that will place IIPH-Hyderabad at the frontline of infectious disease prevention and control.”