Global malaria community calls for increased investment in development and scale-up of malaria innovations following R21 vaccine announcement- but RBM Partnership warns “it’s not the only solution”.
The latest results from the ongoing Phase 3 trials found three doses of the vaccine reduced symptomatic malaria cases by 75% over 12 months in areas affected by seasonal malaria, where most cases occur during the rainy season. Vaccine efficacy was also demonstrated when delivered based on age in areas with low to moderate malaria transmission, however further studies will be required to establish the vaccine’s efficacy in regions with high levels of malaria transmission year-round.
“Countries face different challenges and will need to determine how R21 and RTS,S can complement their existing malaria control strategies. This new vaccine will be highly effective to fight malaria, but must be used in tandem with other tools such as insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying and preventive medicines to have the greatest impact.
As part of a package of prioritized malaria control interventions, R21 will be scaled-up alongside the existing vaccine to increase global supply, reduce average costs and enter other countries, reaching more children living at risk. “The joint SAGE-MPAG recommendation to WHO of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine represents another major step towards our goal of creating a malaria-free life for every child,”“This vaccine, along with the existing RTS,S/AS01e vaccine, will be an effective complement to existing malaria interventions. Once it receives WHO prequalification, it will play a key role in meeting the high demand we are seeing in endemic countries.