The Serum Institute of India (SII) has marked a significant milestone in the global fight against malaria by dispatching the first batch of its R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to Africa. On Monday, approximately 43,200 doses were shipped from India, with an allocation of 163,800 doses earmarked for the Central African Region (CAR). Following CAR, other African nations, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are set to receive shipments in the coming days.
To date, SII has manufactured 25 million doses of the vaccine, with plans to scale up production to 100 million doses annually. While the vaccine is not immediately available in India, sources suggest it could be introduced in the country within the next 2-4 years.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant, the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine represents the culmination of 30 years of research at Oxford’s Jenner Institute. It is the second malaria vaccine authorized for use in children in malaria-endemic regions, promising a significant impact on public health in affected areas.
Umesh Shaligram, Executive Director of R&D at SII, highlighted the importance of this shipment, stating, “This is a significant step towards a world free from the burden of malaria.”
Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, emphasized the global implications of the vaccine, saying, “The quality, affordable vaccines produced through this partnership between Novavax and SII will prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe.”
The R21/Matrix-M vaccine has garnered support from various organizations, including the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Wellcome Trust, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). It received a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in children last October, and its Phase-III trial data results, announced this year, confirmed its high efficacy. This landmark achievement paves the way for the vaccination of children in populations most at risk, advancing global efforts to combat malaria and save countless lives.
