World’s sixth largest pharmaceutical company by revenue, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is seeking regulatory approval to launch its malaria vaccine, RTS,S – the world’s first malaria vaccine.
The pharmaceutical giant is waiting for approval from the European Medicine’s Authority (EMA) to make the vaccine available for global use after clinical test revealed that 8 in every 10 children that received the vaccine showed resistance to malaria.
According to researchers, continuous trial of the product provides about 18 months protection after injections were given. In infants (aged 6-12 weeks), the drug reduced episodes of malaria by a quarter.
The trial programmes were carried out on more than 1,600 children and infants in eight African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi. In Kenya, clinical malaria cases in children living in volatile area with high rate of repeated infections were halved.
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Although the vaccine does not offer total protection or cure for malaria, GSK said together with the use of bed nets and insecticides, the vaccine is a huge step forward in malaria control.
Scientists are also considering an increased amount of vaccine shots in hope that it will improve the chance of success.
The RTS,S is the first of its kind to reach the licensing stage. It is intended exclusively to combat Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite which is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.
Every year, some 800,000 people die as a result the disease, majority of whom are children below five year.
If GSK gets regulatory approval, it will pave way for large-scale implementation of the vaccine through African national immunization programmes.
The vaccine is developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in partnership with Path Malaria Vaccine Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (VENTURES AFRICA)
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