WHO approves the use of the world’s second anti-malaria vaccine: SII – Dainik Savera Times

New Delhi: Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Monday that the World Health Organization has approved a malaria vaccine, paving the way for the use of other such vaccines in the world. SII said that this approval has been given on the basis of data related to ‘pre-clinical’ and ‘clinical’ testing of the vaccine and during the trials, this vaccine has proved to be very effective in four countries. SII said in a statement that it has become the second vaccine in the world to receive World Health Organization (WHO) approval to protect children from malaria.

WHO has approved the use of this malaria vaccine named R21/Matrix-M developed by Oxford University and SII using the adjuvant technology of ‘Novavax’. Pune-based SAII has been given the license to manufacture the vaccine and the company has already achieved the capacity to produce 10 crore doses annually, which will be doubled in the next two years, the statement said.

Adar Poonawala, CEO of SII, said, for too long, the disease malaria has been threatening the lives of billions of people around the world. He said that this is why the approval of the vaccine is a milestone in fighting malaria. SII said that after receiving WHO approval, additional regulatory approval is expected soon and the R21/Matrix-M vaccine will be used early next year. The vaccine is currently being used in Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.