In a significant milestone in the global fight against malaria, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has dispatched its first shipment of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine doses to Africa. This initial batch will be distributed to the Central African Republic (CAR), followed by shipments to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days.
The CAR region is set to receive 163,800 doses, with 43,200 doses being shipped today from SII’s facility. This distribution marks a crucial step towards addressing the high malaria burden in Africa, where the disease has a particularly severe impact on children.
The development of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine is a collaborative effort between SII, Novavax, and the University of Oxford. To celebrate this achievement, an event was held with notable attendees including Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India. This event underscored the successful partnership between India, the US, and the UK in the development and distribution of this vaccine.
SII has already manufactured 25 million doses of the R21 vaccine and has the capacity to produce up to 100 million doses annually. In October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the R21/Matrix-M vaccine for preventing malaria in children, making it the second WHO-recommended malaria vaccine after the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which was endorsed in 2021.
Both vaccines have demonstrated safety and effectiveness in preventing malaria in children and are expected to significantly impact public health when widely implemented. Malaria remains a leading cause of death among children in Africa, with nearly half a million children succumbing to the disease each year.
The demand for malaria vaccines is unprecedented, and the inclusion of R21 alongside RTS,S is expected to ensure a sufficient supply to meet the needs of children in malaria-endemic areas. WHO highlighted the potential public health impact of the R21 vaccine when it recommended it last October.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO and owner of SII, emphasized the importance of collaboration in achieving this milestone. Speaking to ANI, he noted, “The most important and critical thing here is that Serum Institute, as you know, has always made affordable vaccines which could give access to the lower middle-income countries all over the world.”
US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, also spoke to ANI, praising the joint efforts of the US and India in bringing the vaccine to Africa. He said, “And I want to thank the Poonawallas and the Serum Institute of India, who, together with Novavax and Oxford University, are going to be able to today send this vaccine to Africa. Starting next week, lives will be saved.”
Garcetti highlighted the impact of this collaboration, noting that every minute a child dies of malaria in Africa. He expressed pride in the role the partnership has played in addressing this critical issue, saying, “This is one of the proudest moments of my time here, certainly in India, and I think proud for all of us to be able to have a small role in making sure those families will survive. So it’s a really big day for us.”