International Vaccine Institute joins GHTC

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) is pleased to announce that the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has joined the coalition’s membership. IVI is an independent nonprofit international organization headquartered in Seoul, South Korea that conducts research to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global public health.

“IVI was founded on the belief that the health of children in developing countries can be dramatically improved by the use of new and improved vaccines,” said Jerome Kim, IVI’s Director General. “Since our founding, we’ve collaborated with the scientific community, nonprofits, governments, and industry to facilitate the development and introduction of vaccines in countries where they are most needed. We are excited to join GHTC and look forward to working with the coalition to educate policymakers about the critical importance of vaccine R&D in tackling the leading causes of disease and disability in developing countries.”

IVI was established in 1997 as an initiative by the United Nations Development Programme under the recognition that there was a need for an international organization with the mandate to improve the health of children in developing nations through vaccines and vaccination. IVI operates today under an international treaty signed by 35 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO).

IVI is involved in all areas of the vaccine spectrum from vaccine discovery in the laboratory to vaccine development and evaluation in the field to facilitating sustainable vaccine introduction. The institute conducts lab research from its Seoul headquarters, as well as clinical and field research in more than 20 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Among its achievements, IVI led an international product development partnership for the inactivated oral cholera vaccine. The vaccine was prequalified by WHO in 2011, making IVI one of two nonprofit organizations that successfully brought a vaccine to WHO prequalification.

“GHTC is excited to welcome the International Vaccine Institute to our membership,” said Erin Will Morton, GHTC’s Coalition Director. “Since its founding nearly two decades ago, IVI has established itself as a leading actor in vaccine research and development. We look forward to partnering with the institute to promote policies and investments that accelerate the development and introduction of lifesaving vaccines in low-income countries.”

For more information about the International Vaccine Institute, visit www.ivi.int.