Vaccine For Malaria Prevention To Be Available In October

Malaria vaccine found to partially protect children against the disease for up to four years after vaccination, is set to be available by October this year, scientists have reported.
This might be the end to malaria infection as the first malaria vaccine candidate to reach phase-3 of clinical testing.  

Giving the hint about this development yesterday, Brian Greenwood, corresponding author and Professor of Clinical Tropical Medicine at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK, explained that results of the tests suggested that the vaccine candidate known as RTS, S/AS01 could prevent a substantial number of cases of clinical malaria, especially in areas of high transmission. 

Greenwood noted that the European Medicines Agency, EMA, will “assess the quality, safety, and efficacy of the vaccine based on these final data. There is currently no licensed vaccine against malaria anywhere in the world.”

If the EMA gives a favourable opinion, the World Health Organisation could recommend the use of RTS,S/AS01 as early as October this year. If licensed, RTS,S/AS01 would be the first licensed human vaccine against a parasitic disease,” Greenwood added.

The findings, published in the journal, The Lancet, revealed that vaccine efficacy against clinical and severe malaria was better in children than in young infants, but waned over time in both groups. 

However, protection was prolonged by a booster dose, increasing the average number of cases prevented in both children and young infants. 

Further, Greenwood argued that despite the falling efficacy over time, there is still a clear benefit from RTS,S/AS01.