Ghana First To Approve World Changer Malaria Vaccine

Ghana is the first country to approve a new Malaria vaccine that has been described as a “World-Changer” by the scientists who developed it.

The vaccine – called R21 – appears to be hugely effective, in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field.

The Serum Institute of India is preparing to produce between 100-200 million doses per year, with a vaccine factory being constructed in Accra, Ghana.

Each dose of R21 is expected to cost a couple of dollars. Other African countries are also studying the data, as is the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority, which has seen the data, has approved the vaccine’s use in children aged between five months to three years old.

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Childhood vaccines in Africa are typically paid for by international organisations such as Gavi and UNICEF after they have been backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is still assessing the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.

However, Oxford scientist Adrian Hill said Ghana’s drug regulator has approved it for the age group at highest risk of death from malaria – children aged 5 months to 36 months. It has a deal with Serum Institute of India to produce up to 200 million doses annually.

This is the first time a major vaccine has been approved first in an African country ahead of rich nations, Hill said.

It was unusual that a regulatory authority in Africa had reviewed the data quicker than the WHO, he added.

“Particularly since COVID, African regulators have been taking a much more proactive stance, they’ve been saying…we don’t want to be last in the queue,” Hill said.

The first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix from British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L), was endorsed by the WHO last year after decades of work. But a lack of funding and commercial potential thwarted the company’s capacity to produce as many dose as needed.