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HEALTH: A vaccine against malaria could be available soon

 

A vaccine against malaria could soon be on the market. This is certainly the wish of the British pharmaceutical company GSK has already announced Tuesday, 8 October 2014 that it would seek a scientific opinion from the European Agency EM medication (EMA). This vaccine was developed specifically for children in sub-Saharan Africa, and not to be sold in Europe.

At a conference on malaria in Durban, South Africa, the British company announced with its humanitarian partners Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) first results of advanced testing, said phase three, covering more than 15,000 children.

"The vaccine efficacy was 46% for infants and 27% for infants' aged 6-12 weeks at first vaccination, over a period 18 months, told AFP Dr. Lucas Otieno, principal investigator in charge of this trial in Kenya Medical Research Institute / Walter Reed Project, which considers "the encouraging results obtained so far in this trial." "The trial is ongoing and we hope to have more information about the long-term protection in the course of 2014. [...] We will evaluate the effect of a booster dose 18 months after vaccination, "he has said.  

Wide dissemination of the vaccine in Africa reduced price

In case of a positive recommendation, the World Health Organization (WHO) could recommend from 2015, paving the way for broadcasting in Africa (mainly through UNICEF and the GAVI Alliance humanitarian program ) reduced, with a margin of only 5%, after the pharmaceutical group price.

GSK announced in March of previous results (phase 2) relatively disappointing in the "New England Journal of Medicine" (NEM) with protection from 43.6% in the first year after vaccination, gradually falling to zero after four years. But this test was focused on a small number of children in a region in Kenya has experienced changes in the characteristics of the malaria epidemic, said the doctor. The Phase 3 trial, he was "conducted in 11 test sites in 7 countries with different intensities of malaria transmission," says the researcher.

Malaria is caused by a parasite, Plasmodium, which is carried by mosquitoes, causes fever, headache and vomiting, and in the absence of treatment can quickly lead to death by circulatory disorders. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to many antimalarial drugs, which increases the interest in the development of a vaccine.

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