18 Oct 2011

New advance in the fight against malaria

The maker of a new vaccine which could protect millions from the scourge of malaria tells Channel 4 News it’s a “very viable” drug, despite people saying it was “crazy” to try and tackle the disease.

The first results from a major malaria vaccine trial have been released today in Seattle, showing the jab can reduce the risk of the disease by half in young African children.

The new vaccine, known as RTS,S works by triggering the human immune system to defend the body against the malaria parasite as it enters the bloodstream.

Tests were carried out on a thousand young children in seven African countries over two years, and now the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline says the world on is the cusp of a full vaccine against malaria – one that will have enormous economic impact.

Child being given a vaccine (Reuters)

Global risk

Almost half the world’s population, or 3.3 billion people, are at risk of malaria. According to the most recent figures, the disease killed 781,000 people in 2009, most of them in Africa. The billionaire tycoon Bill Gates, whose foundation has helped to fund this latest research, described vaccines as “the simplest and most cost-effective way to save lives”.

There’s already been considerable advance in the fight against malaria, thanks to a huge increase in the availability of bed nets treated with anti-mosquito insecticide, as well as better diagnostic tests. On Monday, the World Health organisation hailed what it called “remarkable progress” – and revealed that nearly a third of all countries affected by malaria, are on course to eliminate it over the next decade.

A vaccine is the simplest and most cost-effective way to save lives. Bill Gates

GlaxoSmithKline’s chief executive, Andew Witty, told Channel 4 News that this latest vaccine could prove an exciting and powerful new tool in the fight to eradicate malaria.

“When we started this vaccine programme, people told us we were crazy, that it was impossible to develop a vaccine against malaria,” he said. “But here we are, with something that looks very viable.”

Affordable price

And he insisted that the vaccine would be priced at an affordable level, for those in Africa and other developing countries who urgently need it. Mr Witty said his company has pledged to charge the cost of goods plus a five percent markup, which will be reinvested back into further research into malaria and other neglected tropical diseases.

Other experts have been more cautious, given the success rate shown in the trials, thought to be around 50%. Former Nobel prize winner Peter Agre, from the John Hopkins Malaria Research Institute told Reuters “We’re probably not there yet, but this is a really important advance in science.”

Meanwhile, GSK say this vaccine could be on the market by 2015, and they are continuing to develop new ideas.