In a significant milestone in the fight against malaria, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has dispatched its first batch of the R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine to Africa.
The initial shipment of 43,200 doses is bound for the Central African Republic (CAR), with plans for further deliveries to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the near future.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax, the R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine is the second malaria vaccine authorized for children in malaria-endemic regions.
It has garnered support from organizations such as the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Wellcome Trust, and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The vaccine has shown remarkable efficacy, with a 77% success rate over 12 months of follow-up in a Phase 2b trial.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the vaccine for use in children last year, paving the way for its distribution to high-risk populations.
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla emphasized the significance of international partnerships in addressing global health challenges, stating, “To date, Serum Institute of India has produced 25 million doses of the vaccine, with the capability to scale up production to 100 million doses annually.”
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti highlighted the importance of collaboration, saying, “The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine represents a major advancement in the fight against malaria, promising to save hundreds of thousands of lives globally.”
Dr. Umesh Shaligram, Executive Director of R&D at SII, hailed the shipment as a monumental milestone in the collective fight against malaria, while Professor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, expressed optimism about the vaccine’s impact, stating, “The start of the distribution at large scale of this high efficacy, very cost-effective vaccine should mark a turning point in the battle against malaria.”
This development marks a significant step forward in the fight against malaria, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually.
The distribution of the R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine is expected to have a major impact on public health in Africa and beyond.