“Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), a voluntary public health driven alliance of state-owned and private vaccine manufacturers from developing countries, now intends to strengthen its collaboration with Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI) to increase its bandwidth in immunization for the developing countries,” India’s Pharmabiz.com reports, adding that DCVMN has 19 members, including “Argentina, Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Vaccinology institutions are WHO, IVI, RIVM/NVI which extend the technical support”  (9/16).

Financial Express: “The proposed alliance will help to review opportunities and bottlenecks in vaccine research, development and introduction of new products in global markets,” DCVMN President Akira Homma said (Mahalakshmi, 9/16).

DCVMN kicked off its three-day annual meeting in Hyderabad, India, on Tuesday, Sify reports. “The annual meeting hosted by Bharat Biotech is being attended by 125 participants from 31 vaccine manufacturers representing 14 countries [and] 12 international agencies,” according to the news service (9/14).

In related news, IANS reports that “[v]accine manufacturers in India Wednesday formed a pressure group to lobby for increasing the immunization coverage in India … The association, which has brought together Bharat Biotech, Biological E, Panacea Biotech, Serum Institute and Shantha Biotechnics, will urge the government to add new vaccines to the [national immunization] programme,” according to the news service (9/15).