Ghana first to approve Oxford's new R21 malaria vaccine
Ghana has approved a new malaria vaccine from the University of Oxford, becoming the first country in the world to take this leap forward in the fight against this life-threatening disease.
Oxford, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, will produce up to 200 million doses of the vaccine - called R21/Matrix-M - per year with a vaccine factory being built in Accra, Ghana, reports the BBC.
While regulatory bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are still evaluating the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, Ghana's drug regulator has approved it nationally for children aged 5 months to three years.
The initiative is one of many focused on fighting the disease that kills more than 600,000 people every year, most of whom are children. The complex structure and life cycle of the malaria parasite has long hampered vaccine development efforts.
Fight against malariaThe R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second to be approved by the WHO and the first to exceed the WHO threshold of 75% efficacy over 12 months of follow-up.
The vaccine showed 77% protective efficacy over 12 months in a phase 2b trial involving young West African children, after an initial series of three-dose injections.
The first-ever malaria vaccine, RTS,S or mosquirix, from British drugmaker GSK, was approved by the WHO in 2021 after decades of work. But a lack of funding and market potential thwarted the company's ability to produce as many doses as needed.
Various research also shows that the effectiveness of GSK's vaccine is around 60% and decreases significantly over time, even with a booster dose.
At the time the mosquirix vaccine was approved, the WHO said it was based on the results of an ongoing pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800,000 children since then. 2019.
He added that he recommends widespread use of the vaccine, "among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas with moderate to high transmission of plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Towards the eradication of malariaThe BBC also reports that the director of the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute, Adrian Hill, has said that the R21 vaccine is expected to "have a major impact on mortality from malaria in children in the years ahead. to come.
READ ALSO: World Mosquito Day: Why malaria mortality is high in Africa - Experts"And in the longer term, it will contribute to the overall end goal of malaria eradication and elimination."
Each dose of R21 should cost a few dollars.
Furthermore, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said, “Developing a vaccine to have a significant impact on this huge burden of disease has been extremely challenging.”
He added that Ghana, as the first country to approve the vaccine, represents an “important milestone in our efforts to fight malaria around the world.”
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Ghana has approved a new malaria vaccine from the University of Oxford, becoming the first country in the world to take this leap forward in the fight against this life-threatening disease.
Oxford, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, will produce up to 200 million doses of the vaccine - called R21/Matrix-M - per year with a vaccine factory being built in Accra, Ghana, reports the BBC.
While regulatory bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are still evaluating the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, Ghana's drug regulator has approved it nationally for children aged 5 months to three years.
The initiative is one of many focused on fighting the disease that kills more than 600,000 people every year, most of whom are children. The complex structure and life cycle of the malaria parasite has long hampered vaccine development efforts.
Fight against malariaThe R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second to be approved by the WHO and the first to exceed the WHO threshold of 75% efficacy over 12 months of follow-up.
The vaccine showed 77% protective efficacy over 12 months in a phase 2b trial involving young West African children, after an initial series of three-dose injections.
The first-ever malaria vaccine, RTS,S or mosquirix, from British drugmaker GSK, was approved by the WHO in 2021 after decades of work. But a lack of funding and market potential thwarted the company's ability to produce as many doses as needed.
Various research also shows that the effectiveness of GSK's vaccine is around 60% and decreases significantly over time, even with a booster dose.
At the time the mosquirix vaccine was approved, the WHO said it was based on the results of an ongoing pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800,000 children since then. 2019.
He added that he recommends widespread use of the vaccine, "among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas with moderate to high transmission of plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Towards the eradication of malariaThe BBC also reports that the director of the University of Oxford's Jenner Institute, Adrian Hill, has said that the R21 vaccine is expected to "have a major impact on mortality from malaria in children in the years ahead. to come.
READ ALSO: World Mosquito Day: Why malaria mortality is high in Africa - Experts"And in the longer term, it will contribute to the overall end goal of malaria eradication and elimination."
Each dose of R21 should cost a few dollars.
Furthermore, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said, “Developing a vaccine to have a significant impact on this huge burden of disease has been extremely challenging.”
He added that Ghana, as the first country to approve the vaccine, represents an “important milestone in our efforts to fight malaria around the world.”
Support the integrity and credibility journalism of PREMIUM TIMES
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government.
For free and continued access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider providing modest support to this noble endeavour.
By contributing to PREMIU...
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