Page 9 - HOH 25 JULY,2015

HEALTH:

World’s first malaria vaccine, backed
by Bill Gates, gets green light

The world’s first malaria vaccine, backed by Bill Gates,
has received a green light for future use in babies in sub-Saharan Africa.

THE European Medicines

Agency gave the Mosquirix
vaccine a favorable review after
30 years of research by Glaxo-
SmithKline and the PATH Ma-
laria Vaccine Initiative.

The drug will now be examined
by the World Health Organiza-
tion. Individual countries will
need to give the vaccine their
final approval before it can be
administered to children.

The trials showed the vaccine
was most effective in newborn
children between the ages of
five and 17 months, cutting
the number of malaria cases
by almost a half. The number
of cases in younger babies
dropped by 27%.

Mosquirix is aimed at young victims, 83% were children 2017 is the soonest that could happen.
children because their immune under the age of five.
system is still developing. Un- 19INTERNATIONAL
like other vaccines that tackle The World Health Organiza-
viruses and bacteria, Mosquirix tion lists malaria as the fifth
has been designed to prevent biggest killer in sub-Saharan
illness caused by a parasite. Africa.
Path is funded by the Bill and
It works by stopping the ma- Melinda Gates Foundation,
laria parasite maturing and which poured more than $200
multiplying in the liver, after million into the project.
which it would normally enter
the patient›s bloodstream and GSK said it has spent more than
trigger the disease symptoms. $365 million on the effort and
The vaccine is given out in will not make a profit from the
three doses one month apart, vaccine. Its price would cover
with an additional booster dose the manufacturing costs and
a year and half later to maintain a small return that would be
protection. reinvested in malaria research.
The vaccine is not yet licensed
Even though malaria is pre- in countries where malaria is
ventable and treatable, the endemic, and the WHO says
mosquito born disease killed
584,000 people in 2013, with
90% of the deaths occurring
in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the

ARUBA TRAVELLER - Saturday, July 25 2015