The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted authorization for a second malaria vaccine, potentially offering countries a more accessible and cost-effective alternative to combat the parasitic disease compared to the first available vaccine.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the approval of the new malaria vaccine based on recommendations from two expert groups. The vaccine is intended for use in children at risk of malaria.
“As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two,” remarked Tedros. Developed by Oxford University in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India, the new three-dose vaccine has demonstrated more than 75 percent effectiveness in research, and its protective effects can be extended for at least a year with a booster shot. The estimated cost of the vaccine is between $2 and $4, with the possibility of availability in select countries next year, contingent on funding agreements.
Regulatory authorities in Ghana and Burkina Faso had previously approved the vaccine earlier this year.
While the new malaria vaccine marks a significant addition to the toolkit against the disease, experts caution that it should not be viewed as a standalone solution. John Johnson from Doctors Without Borders emphasized, “This is not the vaccine that’s going to stop malaria.”
In 2021, WHO endorsed the first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, produced by GSK, as a part of an initiative to combat the devastating impact of malaria, particularly in Africa, which bears the highest burden of the disease. However, Mosquirix is only about 30 percent effective, requires four doses, and provides limited duration of protection.
Comparatively, the data does not yet conclusively establish the superior effectiveness of either the GSK or Oxford-developed vaccines.
Access to the vaccines is a key distinction between the two. GSK has limited production capacity, yielding around 15 million doses annually, whereas the Serum Institute can produce up to 200 million doses of the Oxford vaccine each year. Experts recommend countries considering the GSK vaccine to switch to the Oxford vaccine instead.
While widespread deployment of the new vaccine across Africa could significantly reduce severe illness and malaria-related deaths, it is essential to recognize that neither of these malaria vaccines curbs transmission. Efforts to combat malaria are further complicated by increasing drug resistance and the proliferation of invasive mosquito species.
Alister Craig, an emeritus professor at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, emphasized that it would be unwise to view the new vaccine as the ultimate solution to malaria.
In a separate decision, WHO’s expert group also authorized the dengue vaccine manufactured by Takeda, which had previously received approval from the European Union drug regulator.
Dengue, common in tropical regions of Latin America and Asia, lacks a specific treatment. While most cases are mild, severe dengue infections can result in internal bleeding, organ damage, and fatalities.
WHO’s expert groups recommended the use of the Takeda dengue vaccine in children aged six to 16 in countries with a high prevalence of the disease. Previous studies indicated the vaccine’s effectiveness at approximately 84 percent in preventing hospitalization due to dengue and about 61 percent effectiveness in symptom prevention four years after immunization.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing its worst dengue outbreak, with nearly 1,000 deaths reported this year in an ongoing epidemic.