WHO recommends new, cheaper malaria vaccine for children

• R21/Matrix-M is mass manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
• Malaria kills over 600,000 every year worldwide.
• The WHO chief says the doses will cost between $2 and $4.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended an affordable, mass-produced malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, in a major development against the life-threatening disease transmitted to humans by certain mosquitoes.

Malaria, a major global health problem, mainly affects babies and infants and has been a major problem for over a century. However, agreements are already in place to produce more than 100 million annual doses of the new vaccine — R21.

The disease is caused by a complex parasite, transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes, that is more sophisticated than a virus because it changes shape inside the human body, making it difficult for natural immunity and the development of a vaccine against it.

Almost two years have passed since the first vaccine – called RTS, S and developed by GSK – was endorsed by the WHO, BBC mentionted.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said: “I used to dream of the day when we would have one safe and effective malaria vaccine, now we have two.”

The UN health agency said both vaccines were “very similar” in effectiveness, but the key difference was Oxford University’s ability to manufacture R21 on a mass scale.

In addition, the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, plans to produce over 100 million doses annually and plans to increase to 200 million, despite having only 18 million doses of RTS,S currently available.

The WHO said the new R21 vaccine would be a “vital additional tool”. Each dose costs $2-4 and it takes four doses per person which is about half the price of RTS,S.

While the two malaria vaccines share similar technologies and target the same stage of the parasite’s life cycle, the newer vaccine is easier to make because of its smaller dose and simpler adjuvant.

In 2021, there were 247 million cases of malaria and 619,000 people died, most of them children under the age of five. Over 95% of malaria is found in Africa.

Discussing the potential of the vaccine, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said: “This second vaccine has real potential to close the huge demand and supply gap.

“The two vaccines delivered at scale and widely available can help prevent malaria, control efforts and save hundreds of thousands of young lives.”

The R21 vaccine, although it has not undergone a formal scientific review process, has been found to be 75% effective in preventing malaria in seasonal areas, according to data published online.

WHO’s strategic expert advisory group suggests that the effectiveness of the malaria vaccine is lower in areas where the parasite is present year-round, comparable to the effectiveness of the first vaccine in seasonal areas.

Professor Sir Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute in Oxford where R21 was developed, said: “The vaccine is easy to administer, cost-effective and affordable, ready for distribution in areas where it is most needed, with the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives a year ».