New Rotavirus Vaccine Is More Protective in Children

A new vaccine to protect against rotavirus, a deadly diarrheal disease that kills approximately 450,000 children younger than 5 years old each year, has been developed by Serum Institute of India. In a recently completed clinical trial conducted in Niger by Doctors Without Borders and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Epicentre in Paris, the vaccine was tested in 3,500 healthy infants who received three doses of either the vaccine or placebo at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age and were monitored in local health centers for two years. It found that the vaccine, BRV-PV, was 66.7 percent effective in preventing severe gastroenteritis caused by the virus.

BRV-PV is a heat-stable vaccine that doesn’t require refrigeration, is specifically adapted to the rotavirus strains found in sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world most disproportionately affected by the disease, and is less expensive than existing vaccines at a cost of $2.50. Currently, the two other rotavirus vaccines need to be refrigerated, making them difficult to distribute in resource-poor countries. The vaccine has been licensed in India but needs to be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) before it can be purchased by the United Nations and government agencies. “The success of this trial shows that research and development into vaccines that are specifically adapted for use in low-income countries yield results,” said Micaela Serafini, MD, Doctors Without Borders’ medical director. “The quicker this vaccine is prequalified by the WHO, the sooner it can be used to prevent the deaths of thousands of children in the countries where it is needed most.”