Gavi and the Global Fund recently released a statement about malaria vaccine recommendations, which were given by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC).
The recommendations pertain to using RTS,S, which is the first malaria vaccine. The recommendations were meant to make the vaccine more readily available to people who live in countries that have a large malaria burden, and the organizations wanted to determine the likely real world impact of the vaccine.
Previously, there was a four-year trial of RTS,S that showed that the vaccine is safe and effective. The trial showed that there was a 39 percent effectiveness in preventing malaria from contracting in clinical cases.
The organizations want pilot recommendations of RTS,S taken within three to five settings based in sub-Saharan Africa. The goal of the pilot recommendations is to replicate the laboratory success, but there are significant challenges in non-clinical settings.
The boards with Gavi and the Global Fund will take time to review the recommendations from the WHO about the next steps in the vaccine’s development. The two organizations will continue collaborating on the potential use for the vaccine, and the boards may choose to allow the vaccine to be used with other malaria interventions.
