Professor Catherine Falade, a consultant pharmacologist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has said that the first malaria vaccine undergoing clinical trial is a major breakthrough in the ‘roll-back malaria’ programme.

The vaccine — RTS,S with trade name Mosquirix™ — is the  first vaccine to show a protective effect against malaria among children in Phase 3 clinical trials.

RTS,S is an injectable vaccine that provides partial protection against malaria in children and it is the outcome of a long-standing collaboration between PATH and GSK which began in 2001.

Falade  told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ibadan that the vaccine was a “reduction intervention but not a preventive measure”.

According to her, there should be massive sensitisation of the public to eliminate some misconceptions that may arise from the innovation.

“The malaria vaccine reduces prevalence, morbidity and mortality from malaria attacks; the concern is that people take three antigens and then take the vaccines.

“The vaccines only reduce the risks of malaria by 35 per cent; it does not prevent malaria like other vaccines that babies take at birth for prevention of communicable diseases.’

“The masses in Nigeria, particularly at the grassroots need to be properly informed about this. Otherwise, Nigerians will read another meaning into the efforts of government and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Nigerians find faults easily in government policies and efforts geared towards their welfare.

“They should be informed by healthcare givers, community centres, the media and all stakeholders that what the vaccine does is to reduce the attack of malaria and not to totally prevent it,” she stressed.

Falade described the research finding as a breakthrough in fighting the scourge of malaria in the sub-region.

“In spite of many decades of intense research and development efforts, there is no commercially available malaria vaccine at present.

“RTS, S/AS01 is the most advanced vaccine against the most deadly form of human malaria –Plasmodium falciparum.

“More than 20 other vaccine constructs are currently being evaluated in clinical trials or are at an advanced pre-clinical development.

“In July 2015, the European Medicines Agency issued a positive scientific opinion on the vaccine’s risk-benefit balance.

“In October 2015, two independent WHO advisory groups recommended the pilot implementation of RTS, S/ASO1 in parts of three to five sub-Saharan African countries.”

“WHO has adopted these recommendations and is strongly supportive of the need to proceed with the pilots as the next step for the world’s first malaria vaccine.

“RTS, S/AS01 is being assessed as a complementary malaria control tool that could potentially be added to  and not replace the core package of proven malaria preventive, diagnostic and treatment measures,” Falade said.

WHO Regional Office for Africa had on April 24 announced that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi will take part in a WHO-coordinated malaria vaccine implementation programme.

According to Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, the prospect of a malaria vaccine is great and the information gathered from the pilot programme will facilitate decisions about the wider use of the vaccine.

She hoped that with the existing malaria interventions, the vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa.

(Source: NAN)