WHO Approved Mosquirix Malaria Vaccine!

Malaria has been affecting a fair share of the world population for centuries. Though being a serious endemic, the true effects of malaria are yet underrated. Find everything you need to know about the new vaccine and who it will administer to below. 

Who Made Mosquirix?

Three vaccine candidates were submitted with WHO(World Health Organisation). WHO analyzed the trial reports and has approved the first-ever malaria vaccine called the Mosquirix.  WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced this  Wednesday, that the future of public health will change with the inclusion of the Mosquirix vaccine. 

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had taken around 30 years to develop the RTS, S/AS01 malaria, or Mosquirix vaccine.  Malaria kills more than 400,000 individuals every year and 67% of this constitutes children. The present invention and WHO approval is a blessing in disguise, says Tedros.

When Was Malaria Vaccine Invented?

The vaccine was invented in 1987 and after several trials and developments, it was approved for human trials only in 2019. The first-generation malaria vaccine is highly effective and prevents death especially in children who Inhabitat contagious areas.

It is a protein-based vaccine similar to Novavax for COVID-19. The vaccine uses the protein of the plasmodium falciparum parasite to combat the infection. This parasite is considered to be the deadliest one among four others that are responsible for the infection.  

Effectiveness of Malaria Vaccine

Malaria affects the individual by disrupting the functions of the liver. The vaccine prevents the parasites from entering or maturing into reproductive adults in the liver. The usual malaria shots and pills are valid only for a shorter duration, mostly a year.

The Mosquirix malaria vaccine is 56% effective for the first year and 36% effective for around the next four years and reduces the death risk drastically after the initial five years. Even though these rates are comparatively lower than most vaccines, it is necessary to prevent deaths in developing countries.

Mosquirix Side Effects

Similar to any other vaccine, adults, and children experienced: 

• Fever
• Irritability
• Pain, and swelling near the injected area. 
• 0.1% of the study participants experienced febrile seizures. 

The booster doses, the future course of action, and the two other vaccine candidates, R21 and Sanaria’s PfSPZ are still under review currently.

How Much Is a Malaria Vaccine?

The Mosquirix malaria vaccine will be administered to children residing in sub-Saharan Africa and nearby regions where the rate of infection and child mortality rate is high. 

WHO’s malaria data has shown the need for around 50-110 million vaccines by 2030. GSK has decided to produce 15 million Mosquirix vaccines annually till 2028 with a 5% margin on the production cost. Given the present financing and mobilizing challenges, GSK has not revealed the cost yet.