Malaria vaccine

Malaria vaccine
Vaccine description
TargetMalaria
Vaccine typeProtein subunit
Clinical data
Trade namesMosquirix
Routes of
administration		Intramuscular[1]
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • EU: Rx-only[1]
  • Approved in Ghana, Nigeria
Identifiers
CAS Number
ChemSpider
  • none

Malaria vaccines are vaccines that prevent malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease which affected an estimated 249 million people globally in 85 malaria endemic countries and areas and caused 608,000 deaths in 2022.[2] The first approved vaccine for malaria is RTS,S, known by the brand name Mosquirix.[1] As of April 2023, the vaccine has been given to 1.5 million children living in areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission.[3] It requires at least three doses in infants by age 2, and a fourth dose extends the protection for another 1–2 years.[4][5] The vaccine reduces hospital admissions from severe malaria by around 30%.[4]

Research continues with other malaria vaccines. The most effective malaria vaccine is the R21/Matrix-M, with a 77% efficacy rate shown in initial trials and significantly higher antibody levels than with the RTS,S vaccine. It is the first vaccine that meets the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of a malaria vaccine with at least 75% efficacy,[6][7] and only the second malaria vaccine to be recommended by the WHO.[8] In April 2023, Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority approved the use of the R21 vaccine for use in children aged between five months and three years old.[9] Following Ghana's decision, Nigeria provisionally approved the R21 vaccine.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference EMA Mosquirix was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ World Malaria Report 2023 - World Health Organization. Switzerland: World Health Organization. 30 November 2023. ISBN 978-92-4-006489-8.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference who-rts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference npr-052022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ World Health Organization (2022). "Malaria vaccine: WHO position paper – March 2022". Weekly Epidemiological Record. 97 (9): 60–78. hdl:10665/352337.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-r21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference EurekAlert042021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "WHO recommends R21/Matrix-M vaccine for malaria prevention in updated advice on immunization". 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-r21-202304 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "The country with the highest rate of malaria deaths in the world has approved Oxford's vaccine". Quartz. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.