First ever Malaria Vaccine, to be used in Africa

After several attempts, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has finally come up with an approved vaccine for the malaria parasite. This should be good news, judging by the fact that malaria currently kills more than 600, 000 people a year. It is also the first licensed human vaccine against a parasitic disease. This vaccine which is said to have been progress for 30 years, is said to offer protection for children for up to four years.
Before this final vaccine came to be, reports released in 2011 and 2012 didn't seem very positive. It showed it only reduced episodes of malaria in babies aged 6 weeks to 12 weeks by 27%, and by around 46% in children aged 5 to 17 months.

Reports from Punch Newspaper say that however, the final stage follow-up data published in the Lancet journal showed that vaccinated children continued to be protected four years on, though at a declining rate – an important factor, given the prevalence of the disease and rates of protection were stronger with a booster shot.

“In spite of the falling efficacy over time, there is still a clear benefit from RTS,S,” said Brian Greenwood, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who worked on the study.

He said an average 1,363 cases of clinical malaria were prevented over four years for every 1,000 children vaccinated, or 1,774 cases with a booster shot.

“The children would normally be expected to have had several cases of infection over that period.

In babies, over three years of follow-up, an average 558 cases were prevented for every 1,000 vaccinated, and 983 cases in those who got a booster.

“Given that there were an estimated 198 million malaria cases in 2013, this level of efficacy potentially translates into millions of cases of malaria in children being prevented,” Greenwood said.

GSK submitted an application in July 2014 for regulatory approval by the European Medicines Agency for RTS, S and is expecting a decision within a few months.

“If it gets a licence, the World Health Organisation could recommend it for use “as early as October this year,”Greenwood said.

Experts say RTS, S will be only one among several weapons against malaria, alongside insecticide-treated bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests and anti-malarial drugs.

RTS,S was co-developed by GSK and the non-profit PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.