Anti-Malarials Often Ineffective But Historic First Vaccine Could Save 500,000 a Year

Published November 03, 2009 @ 11:24AM PT

It's not just a lack of funding causing millions to die from malaria. Even where provision for anti-malaria medicine exists, too often it's ineffectual. But there is hope with a new vaccine.

ActWatch have just released a study of seven African countries which explains that most people were receiving ineffective anti-malarials. The study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found that the lack of quality medication is usually down to the high-cost and low-availability of the better drugs which can cost twenty times as much — up to 65 times the average daily wage in some of the studied countries. Dr Chevasse, Project Director of ActWatch, says that "this is ultimately what’s leading to the fact that most children in Africa are either not being treated at all for malaria - or they’re being treated with ineffective drugs."

So quite simply, even where malaria medication does exist, we've got to ensure it works. But there is hope due to a new vaccine which appears able to prevent malaria in 50% of children. This could account for an incredible 500,000 lives saved each year. When it passes final testing it will become the first vaccine against a human parasite. It will only prevent the African strain, but it's a huge leap forward in squatting malaria. Children, who are at high-risk, will be immunized and then left to develop a natural immunity as they grow older. Developing the vaccine has cost more than $500 million, funded in part by GlaxoSmithKline and ... you guessed it ... the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who fund part of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Even better news is that "pricing will never be a barrier to access for this vaccine" said GlaxoSmithKline.

Photo credit: UN Photo/Astrid-Helene Meister

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Thank you for writing about the malaria vaccine. For those who want to hear more, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative is tweeting live from the MIM Pan-Africa Malaria conference at https://twitter.com/MalariaVaccine where they've unveiled the new R&D strategy for the vaccine.

Posted by PATH on 11/04/2009 @ 10:35AM PT
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