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Two global pharmaceutical firms � Hilleman Laboratories and Gotovax AB � Tuesday joined hands to develop affordable oral cholera vaccine. �Our partnership with Gotovax AB is carefully aligned to Hilleman Laboratories� core philosophy of addressing unmet health needs of the underprivileged by developing accessible and innovative vaccines which are affordable,� Hilleman Laboratories� chief executive officer Davinder Gill said. Hilleman Laboratories is a Merck & Co and Wellcome Trust joint venture while Gotovax AB is a bio-pharmaceutical firm. �There is an urgent need for highly effective and affordable Cholera vaccines both for outbreaks as well as mass vaccination campaigns. �Cholera is endemic in over 50 countries with estimated mortality of 100,000-120,000 deaths each year and a morbidity of 3.8-4.4 million annual cases attributed to this disease,� he added.