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African countries are increasingly approving a new vaccine for malaria. There is a demand for 20 million doses of vaccine in Africa, according to experts. Recently, Nigeria’s pharmaceutical regulatory authority has joined Ghana in supporting the new R21 vaccine
African countries are increasingly approving a new vaccine for malaria. There is a demand for 20 million doses of vaccine in Africa, according to experts. Recently, Nigeria’s pharmaceutical regulatory authority has joined Ghana in supporting the new R21 vaccine. They are the first countries globally to do so, of the vaccine developed by Oxford University scientists and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
African countries that do not have extensive resources for drug regulation have previously relied on the U.N. agency to initially review new medicines. At present, there is a lack of public access to comprehensive information regarding the malaria vaccine’s outcomes in large-scale trials. Additionally, it remains uncertain how low-income countries will afford the cost of the vaccination.
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Malaria kills more than 600,000 people annually in Africa. Most of them are children under age 5 in the south of the Sahara. There are recent efforts to enhance drug oversight in the region. Regulatory authorities from at least 10 African countries are currently examining trial data to evaluate the vaccine, according to WHO. More countries may grant approval for the vaccine in the next few weeks.
