The world’s first malaria vaccine has received a
green light from European drugs regulators who
recommended it should be licensed for use in
babies in Africa who are at risk of the mosquito-
borne disease. The shot, called RTS,S or Mosquirix, would be the
first licensed human vaccine against a parasitic
disease and could help prevent millions of cases of
malaria in countries that use it. The vaccine was developed by British drugmaker
GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH
Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Recommendations for a drug licence made by the
European Medicines Agency are normally endorsed
by the European Commission within a couple of
months. Mosquirix, also part-funded by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, will also now be assessed by the
World Health Organisation, which has promised to
give its guidance on when and where it should be
used before the end of this year. Malaria killed an estimated 584,000 people in 2013,
the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 80 percent of malaria deaths are in
children under the age of five. Andrew Witty, GSK’s chief executive, said EMA’s
positive recommendation was a further important
step towards making the world’s first malaria
vaccine available for young children. “While RTS,S on its own is not the complete answer
to malaria, its use alongside those interventions
currently available such as bed nets and
insecticides would provide a very meaningful
contribution to controlling the impact of malaria on
children in those African communities that need it the most,” he said in a statement.
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