R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine

R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine

News: Recently, The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, which was jointly developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India.

About:
• The recommendation was based on pre-clinical and clinical trial data which showed good safety and high efficacy in four countries, at sites with both seasonal and perennial malaria transmission.
• The vaccine demonstrates high efficacy with a reassuring safety profile.
• It is an easily deployable vaccine that can be manufactured at mass scale and modest cost, enabling as many as hundreds of millions of doses to be supplied to countries which are suffering a significant malaria burden
• It’s important to note that malaria is a major global health issue, causing over 600,000 deaths annually.

About Malaria:
• Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite that is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms include Fever, Fatigue, Vomiting, Headaches, and Shaking chills.

Which was the first malaria vaccine approved by WHO?
• RTS,S/AS01, also known by the brand name Mosquirix. It was developed by British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. The WHO recommended its use for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission.