1st malaria vaccine shows promise against rising cases: Report

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) The first blood-stage malaria vaccine RH5.1/Matrix-M has the potential to be a component within a developing malaria vaccine strategy, said a report on Thursday.

The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, showed that there are 11 other malaria vaccines currently in Phase II development.

As per a recent study by researchers in Burkina Faso and the UK, RH5.1/Matrix-M is safe, effective, and highly immunogenic.

The double-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2b trial, analysed 361 children between the ages of 5 and 17 months showed that RH5.1/Matrix-M is 55 per cent effective against clinical malaria when administered in a delayed third-dose regimen at 0, 1, and 5 months.

Further, the vaccine demonstrated over 80 per cent efficacy against high levels of malaria parasites, which indicates the vaccine would be effective at preventing severe disease. RH5.1/Matrix-M was found to be generally safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events being reported, revealed the findings published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

“RH5.1/Matrix-M has the potential to be the first blood-stage malaria vaccine brought to market. This could be a much-needed addition to the currently available malaria vaccines and provide an important second line of defense for those most at risk of contracting malaria,” said Stephanie Kurdach, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease, caused by parasitic Plasmodium protozoans, spread primarily through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Typically, the symptoms can range from fever, chills, and headache to confusion, seizures, and difficulty breathing.

Kurdach noted that although there is progress and some nations have been certified as malaria-free, the burden of malaria remains high, particularly within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African Region.

There are currently only two malaria vaccines, that are WHO prequalified and recommended for use in children: GSK’s Mosquirix and Serum Institute of India’s R21/Matrix-M.

These vaccines work to intercept malaria infection by targeting the early sporozoite stage of the parasite.

However, as immunity wanes with time, sporozoites can infect the liver and lead to blood-stage clinical malaria infection.

The development of a blood-stage malaria vaccine would replace these vaccines as well provide a second line of defense.

“There are 11 other malaria vaccines currently in Phase II development, including pre-erythrocytic vaccines and blood-stage vaccines from manufacturers such as BioNTech, GSK, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Vac4All SAS,” Kurdach said

“No new malaria vaccines are in Phase III development or pre-registration at this time,” she added.