Ghana first to approve ‘world-changer’ malaria vaccine

Ghana is the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine that the scientist who developed it has described as “changing the world”.

A vaccine called R21 appears to be highly effective in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field.

Ghana’s drug regulator has evaluated final trial data on safety and efficacy of the vaccine that have not yet been published and has decided to use it.

The World Health Organization is also considering approval of the vaccine.

Malaria kills about 620,000 people each year, most of them infants.

Developing a vaccine that protects the body from the malaria parasite has been a century-long scientific endeavor.

Trial data from a preliminary study in Burkina Faso showed that the R21 vaccine was up to 80% effective when given three doses initially and boosted one year later.

But the vaccine’s widespread use depends on the results of a large trial involving nearly 5,000 children.

These were scheduled to take place at the end of last year, but have yet to be officially unveiled. However, they are shared with some government agencies and scientists in Africa.

I haven’t seen the final data, but they say they show a similar picture to previous studies.

After reviewing the data, the Food and Drug Administration of Ghana has approved the vaccine for use in children aged 5 months to 3 years.

Other African countries are also studying the data, as is the World Health Organization.

Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, where the vaccine was invented, has declared that “we will decide” after African countries fell behind in deploying a Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic. It states that

He told me: “R21 is expected to have a significant impact on child mortality from malaria in the next few years and in the long term. [it] Contribute to the overall goal of eradicating and eradicating malaria. ”

The Serum Institute of India is preparing to produce 100-200 million doses per year at a vaccine plant under construction in Accra, Ghana.

Expect each dose of R21 to cost a few dollars.

Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said:

He added that Ghana as the first country to approve a vaccine represents “an important milestone in our efforts to combat malaria worldwide.”