It produces more than one billion doses annually through an Indian bio-tech company called Serum Institute of India. The group saw an almost 50% jump in revenues last fiscal year on higher sales of specific vaccines that were used in Africa or were part of India's immunization system. Most recently, it was the Poonawalla Group to launch an injectable polio vaccine, made by Dutch subsidiary Bilthoven Biologicals, in India. For all his contributions to medicine, Poonawalla was honored with the Padma Shri award by the government of India in 2005. One of the 15 richest in India, Poonawalla spent $15 million for works by Renoir, Van Gogh and other notable artist at recent art auctions in London, as well as he purchased racehorse Kenhope for $1.2 million at a Paris auction.
