Second Malaria Vaccine Recommended to Meet Consumer Demand

Malaria vaccines have been in development since the 1960s, with substantial progress in the last decade, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Today, the WHO announced it has recommended a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for preventing malaria in children.

As of October 2023, the R21 vaccine is the second malaria vaccine recommended by WHO, following the Mosquirix™ (RTS,S/AS01) vaccine, which received a WHO recommendation in 2021.

Demand for malaria vaccines is unprecedented in 2023. However, the available supply of RTS,S is limited.

The addition of R21 to the WHO's recommended malaria vaccine list is expected to result in sufficient vaccine supply in various countries.

The following steps for R21/Matrix-M, include completing the ongoing WHO prequalification and enabling international vaccine procurement for a broader rollout in malaria outbreak countries.

The WHO's Director-General endorsed the recommendation following its regular biannual meeting on 25-29 September 2023.

"As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two," commented Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, in a press release on October 2, 2023.

"Demand for the RTS,S vaccine far exceeds supply, so this second vaccine is a vital additional tool to protect more children faster and to bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future."

The R21 vaccine has been shown to reduce symptomatic malaria cases by 75% during the 12 months following a 3-dose series. A fourth dose given a year after the third maintained efficacy. 

This efficacy is similar to that demonstrated when RTS,S is given seasonally. 

The WHO says that at US $2 – US $4 per dose, the cost-effectiveness of the R21 vaccine would be comparable with other recommended malaria interventions and other childhood vaccines.

Malaria is a disease caused by four species of protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to people by Anopheles mosquitoes. 

According to the WHO's recent World Malaria Report, the global number of malaria cases reached about 240 million, with over 600,000 related fatalities.

As of October 2023, neither malaria vaccine is available in the United States.