In Washington, he has consulted frequently with Dr. He has pursued financial commitments from world leaders: In one week alone, he and his wife and co-chair, Melinda Gates, spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi. Gates, who emphasizes that he is one of many involved in the vaccine effort, has hosted online round tables with drug company officials. And it may be difficult to secure the necessary billions of doses in an affordable, timely way because the United States and other wealthy countries have cut separate deals for their citizens. It is not yet known whether the other two will be effective. AstraZeneca, one of three companies that have promised to deliver vaccines for the initiative, just announced impressive results. So far, it has pulled in only $3.6 billion in funding for research, manufacturing and subsidies for poor countries. By September, the foundation had doubled its commitment. Gates had made a promise: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would provide a $150 million guarantee so the Indian factory could move ahead with production. In doing so, he became the most powerful - and provocative - private player in global health.īy the end of their conversation this summer, Mr. Gates had spent billions to help bring vaccines to the developing world, working closely with pharmaceutical executives to transform the market. So he looked to a retired software executive in Seattle.īill Gates, the Microsoft founder turned philanthropist, had known Mr. Poonawalla calculated that he could risk $300 million of his company’s money but would still be more than a half-billion dollars short. Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, needed $850 million for everything from glass vials to stainless steel vats so he could begin producing doses of promising coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poor. The head of one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers had a problem.
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