Geneva [Switzerland], April 13: AFP on April 13, citing an announcement from the University of Oxford, said that the school's R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine has been licensed by Ghana for use in children aged 5-36 months, the age group at risk of dying from malaria . tallest.
The University of Oxford's R21/Matrix-M vaccine is 77% effective at preventing malaria, according to research published last year. This is the first malaria vaccine to exceed the 75% target set by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and Ghana is the first country to license this vaccine.
"This is expected to be an important first step, for vaccines to help Ghanaian and African children fight malaria," the university announced.
Lead researcher on the R21/Matrix-M vaccine program, Professor Adrian Hill, who is also director of the Jenner Institute for Vaccines at Oxford University, said the vaccine's approval marks a 30-year research effort. research towards a highly effective vaccine that can be delivered at the right scale to the countries that need it most. This is the first time an important vaccine has been approved in an African country before richer countries, Mr. Hill said.
The team says the vaccine could open a turning point in the fight against malaria , a mosquito-borne disease that killed 627,000 people in 2020, mostly African children.
In September 2022, the University of Oxford announced that a booster dose of R21/Matrix-M vaccine would help maintain a high rate of immunity against malaria, and hoped to produce an affordable vaccine. on a large scale in the next few years. According to Reuters, Oxford has a contract with the Serum Institute of India to produce 200 million doses of R21/Matrix-M per year.
Previously, there was only one malaria vaccine recommended by WHO for widespread circulation, namely RTS,S (trade name Mosquirix) of GSK pharmaceutical company (UK). In 2016, WHO announced that this vaccine would be piloted in some African countries, starting in 2019. By October 2021, RTS,S is recommended by WHO for widespread use. To date, more than 1 million African children have been vaccinated with RTS,S. However, research shows that this malaria vaccine is only about 60% effective and provides a sharp decline in protection over time, even with booster doses.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper