Children under the age of three in Ghana are eligible for a new malaria vaccine produced by Oxford University.
Despite scientists’ best efforts, more than 600,000 people, largely children in Africa, are killed by the mosquito-borne virus each year.
At this moment, it is uncertain when the Oxford immunization will be accessible in Ghana.
Gavi and UNICEF typically foot the tab for infant vaccinations in Africa after getting back from the World Health Organization (WHO), which is presently studying the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
But, according to Oxford professor Adrian Hill, it has been approved by Ghana’s drug authorities for use in children aged 5 to 36, who are most at risk of dying from malaria. The collaboration with India’s Serum Institute implies that up to 200 million doses will be produced each year.
Hill states that this is the first time an African government has approved a critical vaccination ahead of wealthier nations.
He also mentioned how unusual it was for an African regulatory authority to review the data before the WHO.
With the creation of COVID, African authorities have “adopted a far more confrontational stance, saying we don’t want to be last in line,” according to Hill.
Mosquirix, a malaria vaccine produced by the British pharmaceutical corporation GSK, was eventually approved by the World Health Organization in 2018. Due to a lack of finance and economic potential, the company was unable to produce enough dosages.
Although the WHO estimates that 100 million doses of the four-dose vaccine are needed each year to reach around 25 million children, GSK has committed to manufacturing up to 15 million doses of Mosquirix per year until 2028.
Mosquirix was originally trialed in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, and has subsequently spread to other nations.
Since the vaccine’s introduction in 2019, more than 1.2 million youngsters in the three countries have received at least one dose. This month, the World Health Organization revealed that in areas where the vaccine is available, all-cause child mortality had fallen by 10%.
In September, researchers released preliminary findings from the Oxford vaccine trial, which involved almost 400 babies and toddlers.
The immunization was 80% effective after 12 months in the group that received a higher dose of the immune-boosting adjuvant component, and 70% effective in the group that received a lesser dose of the adjuvant.
The requisite doses were administered prior to the start of the malaria season in Burkina Faso.
The findings of a phase III clinical research now enrolling 4,800 children in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania are expected to be published in a medical journal in the coming months.
Hill said that late-stage data has been presented to regulatory bodies during the previous six months, suggesting that the vaccine would work similarly to the phase II research.
