October 02, (THEWILL) – The World Health Organisation (WHO), has recommended an additional malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for children.
In 2021, the RTS,S vaccine, produced by British pharmaceutical giant GSK, became the first to be recommended by the WHO, to prevent malaria in children in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission.
The new R21/Matrix-M vaccine, developed by Britain’s Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, has already been approved for use in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria.
“As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two”, WHO Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Monday.
The WHO said that the cost-effectiveness of the new vaccine would be comparable to other childhood vaccines, with a dose of R21/Matrix-M costing between $2 and $4.
“Demand for the RTS,S vaccine far exceeds supply, so this second vaccine is a vital additional tool to protect more children faster, and to bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future”, Tedros added.
The two vaccines have similar efficacy rates of around 75 percent when administered under the same conditions.
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