Serum Institute Of India Ships The First Set Of R21 Malaria Vaccines To African Region

The first batch of malaria vaccines developed and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India was shipped to Africa, a country where malaria is endemic.

Malaria and dengue are very serious vector-borne disease which have become endemic to some regions in the world causing millions of infections and deaths. One such endemic region is Africa. In a major development, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has shipped its first set of malaria vaccine doses to the African region. The first set is called, R21//Matrix-M Malaria vaccine. This is the first of many significant steps taken by SII to fight against diseases like malaria especially in Africa where the burden of the disease is sizeable and healthcare is inaccessible. According to reports, the first shipment will be sent to the Central African Republic (CAR). This will be followed by the other African countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days.

On Monday, 43,200 doses out of the total 1,63,800 doses specifically allocated for the CAR region has been dispatched from the SII's facility. Till now, the Serum Institute of India has manufactured 25 million doses with a capacity to scale up to 100 million doses annually. Africa is plagued by malaria so much so that almost half a million children die every year.

A Major Step In The Fight Against Vector-Borne Diseases

This is a major milestone to be celebrated firstly because this is the first malaria vaccine that has been manufactures by the SII and the dosages will be administered to the most malaria endemic country in the world. The partners of this novel vaccine, SII, Novavax, and the University of Oxford celebrated this milestone during an event attended by Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India. This highlighted the successful global partnership between the three countries - India, the US, and the UK.

In 2023, it was World Health Organization (WHO), who recommended the use of R21/Matrix-M vaccine to prevent malaria in children in endemic regions. This is the second vaccine for malaria developed by the WHO. The first one was the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which had received a WHO recommendation in the year 2021. According to clinical trials, both the vaccines are safe and effective in preventing malaria disease in children. If implemented in broader spectrums, they will have a high impact on public health.