Malaria vaccine found to be 77% effective in trials, hits WHO target

A broader Phase 3 trial involving 4,800 children will now be carried out in four African countries, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India and the US pharma company Novavax.

A new malaria vaccine has proven 77% effective in trials on infants, British researchers said on Friday, in what could prove to be a potential game-changer against the deadly mosquito-borne disease.

It is the first candidate vaccine for malaria to surpass a target set by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO), for researchers to create a jab of 75% efficacy by 2030. (Unsplash)

In a clinical trial in Burkina Faso, the Matrix-M vaccine - developed by University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute - was found to be 77% effective after 450 infants inoculated in 2019 were followed up for a year, the Oxford researchers said. No serious adverse events were reported.

It is the first candidate vaccine for malaria to surpass a target set by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO), for researchers to create a jab of 75% efficacy by 2030.

A broader Phase 3 trial involving 4,800 children will now be carried out in four African countries, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India and the US pharma company Novavax.

Adrian Hill, head of the Jenner Institute - which developed the coronavirus vaccine now being distributed by AstraZeneca - said the test results marked “a great day” in the global fight against malaria.