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Breakthrough Malaria Vaccine Is 77% Effective, Giving Hope Against One Of The World’s Biggest Killers

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This article is more than 2 years old.
Updated Apr 23, 2021, 07:59am EDT

Topline

The Oxford University team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot has created the first vaccine against malaria that reaches the World Health Organization’s 75% efficacy threshold, according to preliminary results from a clinical trial published Thursday, a breakthrough in the fight against one of the world’s biggest killers.  

Key Facts

The vaccine, known as R21, is 77% effective against malaria, according to preliminary results from a Phase 2 clinical trial that have not been peer reviewed.

The vaccine has a significantly higher efficacy rate than existing shots and is the first vaccine to reach the WHO’s goal of bringing a vaccine with at least 75% efficacy to market by 2030. 

Buoyed by the promising results, the researchers, who studied the vaccine in 450 children in Burkina Faso, west Africa, have started recruiting for a larger Phase 3 clinical trial, which will include nearly 5,000 children across four African countries.     

Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford and one of the study’s authors, said the “vaccine has the potential to have major public health impact” if licensed, adding that the group has partnered with the Serum Institute of India to manufacture at least 200 million doses a year if the trials are successful. 

Crucial Quote 

Professor Alkassoum Maiga, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, said he hopes the Phase 3 trials will confirm the “exciting findings… this vaccine could have a real impact on this disease affecting millions of children every year.”

Key Background

Malaria is caused by parasites spread through the bites of infected mosquitos. While it is preventable and treatable, an effective vaccine against the disease has eluded scientists for over a century, partly due to the complexities of the parasite.  

Big Number

229 million. This is roughly how many cases of malaria there were around the world in 2019, according to the WHO. Around 400,000 died from the disease, which consistently ranks as one of the top ten causes of death in low income countries, despite falling significantly in recent years. Africa is disproportionately affected by the disease, with over 90% of cases occurring there. Children account for almost 70% of deaths. 

Further Reading

Pandemic could 'turn back the clock' 20 years on malaria deaths, warns WHO (Guardian)

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