The Serum Institute of India (SII) and the University of Oxford collaborated to produce a new "high efficacy" malaria vaccine, which was formally launched on Monday when Cote d'Ivoire, a nation in West Africa, became the first to start giving R21/Matrix-M. The vaccine is believed to have completed a rigorous regulatory process and clinical testing before receiving approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) last year. It was discovered to be both very effective and affordable. Because it is a low-dose vaccination, it can be produced quickly and widely, which is thought to be essential for preventing the disease that is carried by mosquitoes.
"Reducing the malaria burden is finally within sight. Today's start of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine roll-out marks a monumental milestone after years of incredible work with our partners at Oxford and Novavax," said SII CEO Adar Poonawalla.
"At Serum, we believe that it is every person's right to have access to affordable and essential disease prevention. That's why we have committed to producing 100 million doses of R21, which will protect millions of lives and alleviate the burden of this deadly disease for future generations," he said.
SII stated that it has produced 25 million vaccine doses in advance of the roll-out and that it has committed to increasing production to 100 million doses a year. With an eye toward providing vaccinations at a cheap cost and in large quantities, the Pune-based company said that it is selling the vaccine for less than $4 per dose.
The roll-out of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine marks the start of a new era in malaria control interventions with the high-efficacy vaccine now accessible at a modest price and very large scale to many countries in greatest need. We hope that this vaccine very soon can be provided to all African countries who wish to use it.
Adrian Hill, Professor, Director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University
The university and SII collaborated to develop R21/Matrix-M, utilizing Matrix-M adjuvant technology from Novavax. The vaccine had a favorable safety profile and was well tolerated during trials; the most common adverse effects were injection site pain and fever, which led to the WHO granting it prequalification status in December 2023.
Malaria still kills four people a day in Cote d'Ivoire, especially small children, and "remains the leading cause of medical consultations" despite a decline in the number of deaths from the disease from 3,222 in 2017 to 1,316 in 2020, according to the Ministry of Health in the African nation.
A total of 656,600 doses have been received, and these will be used to vaccinate 250,000 children in 16 areas of Cote d'Ivoire who are between the ages of 0 and 23 months. Additionally, Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic have approved the R21/Matrix-M vaccine.
The widespread use of malaria vaccinations, along with current preventive measures like bed nets, is anticipated to save tens of thousands of child lives each year. R21 is the second malaria vaccine available in Sub-Saharan Africa, following RTS. With Gavi's assistance, fifteen African nations will be starting malaria vaccination programs in 2024; the goal is to vaccinate around 6.6 million children between 2024 and 2025.
Africa has borne the brunt of malaria for far too long, and Cote d'Ivoire has suffered more than most. With two safe and effective vaccines now available alongside other interventions, we can finally turn the tide against this killer disease.
Dr Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)
