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For more information, contact: Preeti Singh, for the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative +1 301 652 1558 ext. 5722 or psingh@burnesscommunications.com PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) Joins in Launch of
Investment in Pune, India-based Gennova plant Pune, India (21 June 2008)—Christian Loucq, MD, director of the Bethesda, Maryland-based PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, today made the following statement marking the launch of a dedicated facility by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd to manufacture promising recombinant protein malaria vaccines for testing in clinical trials: “The task of developing a highly efficacious vaccine against malaria presents many challenges—scientific, business, manufacturing, and financial. Today is a good day for the field of malaria vaccine development overall, as we dedicate a facility that will make the manufacture of malaria vaccines its number one priority. “I had the pleasure of living and working in India for eight years in the 1980s and 1990s, and have been back here many times since. Over the past decade, I have witnessed tremendous progress and achievements in the biotechnology field and in the manufacturing of vaccines. With the opening of this facility today, we see India take another step forward as an emerging leader in vaccine development and manufacturing. The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative is proud to play a small role in that process. “At the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), we believe in making investments that move the field forward. With this investment, we are helping to fill the community’s need for a facility where high-quality manufacturing of recombinant proteins can take place. We are making this investment for all of us. “This investment is part of MVI’s commitment to ensuring that the malaria vaccine development field has the tools its needs to achieve success. In Seattle, MVI is investing in the establishment of a human challenge center to help accelerate the pace of vaccine testing. Here in India, our investment is intended to ensure that there is sufficient independent manufacturing capacity to provide the quantities of vaccine needed to conduct clinical trials, wherever the need. While not a large-scale production facility, the Gennova plant will be able to produce enough of a vaccine candidate, under fully qualified conditions, to supply a trial involving thousands of volunteers. “Investments like this are important to the overall success of our research and development strategy, which aims to develop a malaria vaccine of at least 80 percent efficacy by 2025. To reach this target, we will need to explore and likely combine different vaccine components. With Gennova’s production capacity available to us, it will be that much easier to produce new candidate vaccines, thereby bringing us closer to that long-term goal. “The opening of this facility is not just about the bricks and mortar, or the equipment inside. It’s about the people. Dr. Sanjay Singh brings great passion and dynamism to this project and I have confidence in his work. MVI and the field need someone who understands the challenges of expressing proteins and who can do it. Above and beyond the competence that he brings to bear on this project, it is gratifying to work with someone, like Dr. Singh, who is willing to invest in malaria as part of a successful business on biologicals. The fight against malaria needs more people like Dr. Singh. “Again, this is a proud day for the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and for the entire field of malaria vaccine development. I am very glad that I could be here today with you. Thank you.” ### The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is a global program established at PATH through an initial grant of $50 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. MVI’s mission is to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and ensure their availability and accessibility in the developing world. MVI’s vision is a world where all children are safe from malaria. For more information, please visit www.malariavaccine.org. Founded in 1977, PATH is an international, nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act. PATH’s work improves global health and well-being. For more information, please visit www.path.org. |
