New Delhi: The Chairman and Chief executive of global pharmaceutical ginat Pfizer Inc, Albert Bourla was awarded the prestigious $1 million Genesis Prize for his efforts in developing a COVID-19 vaccine.
As per the report by AP, he received the award on January 19.
The $1 million awards are granted each to a person for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values.
The reports further claimed that Bourla had received the largest number of votes in an online campaign in which around 2,00,000 people in 71 countering participated.
The people in the online campaign commended him for his leadership, determination. They further appreciated Pfizer's decision to turn down US government funding early in the pandemic.
Meanwhile, according to the Genesis Prize Foundation, Bourla has planned to donate his prize to projects aimed at preserving the memory of Holocaust victims, especially in Greece.
"I was brought up in a Jewish family who believed that each of us is only as strong as the bonds of our community; and that we are all called upon by God to repair the world," a report by AP quoted him as saying.
Notably, Pfizer's vaccine was the first to be approved by the US for emergency use in December 2020 and Israel was the first country to inoculate its population with the vaccine.
Also watch: