A vaccine against the world’s most notorious disease, Malaria is finally in sight and could be a reality in next four years to come.
Two trials of the apparently promising vaccine RTSS/AS have been conducted on eight weeks old children in Africa. The result was that it reduced clinical malaria incidents by nearly 65%.
In the phase II trial, no major side effects were reported in children from Tanzania and Kenya. This vaccine once available, is capable of reducing malarial infections in children between age of 5 to 17 months, say the scientists who published this finding in Monday’s edition of “The New England Journal of Medicine”.
Plasmodium Falciparum, the vaccine that protects against the most deadly form of malaria was found to be equally effective when co-administered with other childhood vaccines such as polio, diphtheria and tetanus, paving its way for use in national immunization programs across the world.
As many as 12,000 to 16,000 children will be enrolled across Africa for the IIIrd and final phase of before seeking the final approval for marketing of the vaccine. Babies who will be vaccinated in this trial will be observed for at least three years afterwards.
The phase III trial — the final hurdle before marketing approval for the vaccine can be sought — for which 12,000 to 16,000 children will be enrolled across Africa, is set to begin early 2009. Babies vaccinated during this trial will be monitored for at least three years afterwards.
Christian Loucq, director of PATH’s Malaria Vaccine Initiative, said: “We are closer than ever before to developing a malaria vaccine for children in Africa. History has shown that vaccines are the most powerful tool to control and eliminate infectious diseases. Clearly, the world urgently needs a safe and effective vaccine against malaria.”
Dr A P Dash, director of ICMR’s Malaria Research Centre, said: “This looks most promising till now. We have to wait for the large scale human Phase III trial results.”
Joe Cohen, co-inventor of the vaccine at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK), said: “The vaccine works alongside standard infant vaccines, has a favourable safety profile and has consistently shown a significant efficacy level.”
