A high-efficacy malaria vaccine has been launched in Côte d’Ivoire

The introduction of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine in Côte d’Ivoire was a major step in the fight against malaria worldwide. The vaccine was approved by the World Health Organization last year, and it is the first time the vaccine has been given to everyone in the country.

Development and approval

Novavax contributed its Matrix-M adjuvant technology to the R21/Matrix-M vaccine created by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India (SII). It has gone through strict WHO controls and clinical trials proving it to be effective and safe.

Production and distribution

The vaccine is highly effective and requires only small doses, allowing much of it to be made quickly. 25 million doses have already been administered, and there are plans to increase this number to 100 million doses a year. It’s also worth noting how inexpensive it is – less than US$4 per dose.

Rollout and impact

The first country to use the R21/Matrix-M was Côte d’Ivoire. It aims to immunize about 250,000 children aged 0 to 23 months in 16 regions. According to the latest sources, malaria kills about four people in the country every day, most of them young children. This could significantly reduce this number. In addition to Côte d’Ivoire, the vaccine has also been approved in Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic. The release of R21/Matrix-M and another vaccine called RTS,S is expected to save thousands of lives each year. With the help of Gavi, 15 African countries plan to use the vaccine by This will protect about 6.6 million children over two years.

About Indian Serum Institute

• The Serum Institute of India, founded by Cyrus Punawalla in 1966, is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume produced.
• It is headquartered in Pune, India and was originally founded to manufacture immunobiologicals.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company played a key role in mass production of the Covishield vaccine, a version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
• The Serum Institute also produces vaccines for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, BCG, R-hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella.
• Its facility in Pune is the world’s largest vaccine factory in terms of global production and sales volumes.

Source

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