Malaria Vaccine Close to Reality
- By BSTQ Staff
Preliminary results from a Phase III clinical trial in Africa showed that a malaria vaccine, known as RTS,S, cut the number of malaria cases by 50 percent in a 12-month period following vaccination. Fifteen thousand children between the ages of 5 and 17 in seven African countries are participating in the trial. The vaccine is designed specifically for children because their immune systems are still developing, making them the easiest prey for the parasitic disease. Children under the age of 5 account for the vast majority of the 800,000 people who die of the condition each year.
The developers, GlaxoSmithKline and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, say preliminary results suggest that the incidence of adverse effects of the vaccine are comparable to those found in children receiving other vaccines in this blind trial. The side effects will be monitored over the next three years to develop a safety profile. If approved for widespread use, RTS,S would be given in tandem with other childhood vaccines, enabling overstretched health systems to introduce it with little difficulty. A 30-month analysis of the vaccine’s effectiveness will be complete by the end of 2014.