Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, the Pune based business tycoon has been nominated from India for the prestigious Nobel Prize. He is the founder chairman of the world's largest vaccine manufacturer Poonawalla group. The Serum Institute of India and the Indian Biotech Company (manufacturers of paediatric vaccines) also come under the Poonawalla group umbrella.
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla was also recently conferred an honorary 'Doctor of Humane Letters' degree by the Massachusetts Medical School at Boston for his unparalleled work in the field of immunization at the global level. He became the first Indian to be conferred with that honorary degree.
For his extraordinary work in manufacturing and distributing vaccinations, Poonawalla is known as one of the 'seven vaccine heroes of the world. Recognizing his contribution to the medicine sector, Indian Government has awarded him the Padma Shri in 2005. In the same year he was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Serum Institute is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, in accordance to the number of vaccines produced and sold. Accredited with the World Health Organisation, the institute sells vaccines in about 170 countries.