Monday marked the official roll-out of the new R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine campaign in Africa, with the first vaccination taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, before being rolled out in 38 districts across the country.
Co-developed by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India (SEI), leveraging Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant technology, the R21/Matrix-M is a low-dose, highly effective and affordable vaccine which can be manufactured at speed and scale, and with the SEI committed to producing 100m vaccines.
The event this week marked a critical step and historic milestone in the global fight against malaria.
A total of 656 600 doses have been received, which will initially vaccinate 250 000 children aged up to 23 months across 16 regions of Côte d’Ivoire.
At least 15 African countries are expected to introduce malaria vaccines with Gavi support in 2024, with plans to reach around 6.6m children this year and in 2025. The vaccine has been authorised by Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, while many others are preparing to receive shipments
Every year 600 000 people die of malaria in Africa, with children under five making up at least 80% of those deaths. Although the number of malaria-related deaths has fallen from 3 222 in 2017 to 1 316 in 2020 in Côte d’Ivoire, the mosquito-borne disease kills four people a day, mostly small children, and “remains the leading cause of medical consultations”, according to the Ministry of Health.
In December 2023, the WHO granted R21/Matrix-M prequalification status, after a rigorous regulatory process and clinical assessment. Trials also demonstrated that the vaccine was well tolerated and had a good safety profile, with injection site pain and fever as the most frequent adverse events.
In anticipation of the roll-out, the SEI has manufactured 25m doses of the vaccine and is committed to scaling up to 100m doses annually. In keeping with its aim of delivering vaccines at scale and low cost, SII is offering the vaccine at less than $4 per dose.
SII’s production capability means this highly effective and affordable, low-dose malaria vaccine can be manufactured at speed and scale, critical to stemming the spread of disease, as well as protecting the vaccinated.
Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, said: “The roll-out marks the start of a new era in malaria control interventions with the high efficacy vaccine now accessible at a modest price and very large scale to many countries in greatest need.
“We hope that very soon this vaccine can be provided to all countries in Africa wishing to use it.”
R21 is the second malaria vaccine available in Sub-Saharan Africa after RTS,S. WHO expert reviews of data of the two available malaria shots, RTS,S and R21, shows that both are expected to have high public health impact. Wide implementation of the vaccines, in conjunction with existing prevention methods like mosquito nets, is expected to save tens of thousands of young lives each year.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Africa to produce new malaria vaccine?
Ghana and Nigeria first countries to approve Oxford’s malaria jab
Malawi starts world-first malaria vaccination drive
World-first malaria vaccine to be rolled out in African countries
Africa’s challenge with malaria eradication