Malaria continues to be a leading cause of illness and
death in many parts of the world, especially in regions such as Africa and
South Asia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), millions of
people are affected by this disease every year, with infants and pregnant women
being the most vulnerable. In such a scenario, the availability and
affordability of an effective vaccine become extremely crucial. In response to
this need, the Vaccine Alliance GAVI, in partnership with UNICEF, has finalized
an important new agreement. The aim of this agreement is to make the
R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine more accessible, affordable, and widely available.
Key Highlights of the
Agreement
¨
Sharp Reduction in
Vaccine Price: The agreement brings down the cost of each dose to US $2.99,
marking a significant decrease compared to earlier pricing levels.
¨
Major Financial Savings:
The lowered price is projected to save up to US $90 million for Gavi and the
countries participating in the malaria vaccination programme.
¨
Expanded Vaccine
Procurement: The savings generated will help secure around 30 million
additional doses, enabling the vaccination of nearly 7 million more children
over the next five years.
¨
Innovative Financing
Mechanism: The deal is supported financially by Gavi and implemented through
UNICEF, using the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm).
¨
It is a mechanism that
transforms long-term donor commitments into immediate funding to ensure a
stable and timely vaccine supply.
¨
Market-Shaping for
Long-Term Access: The agreement aligns with Gavi’s broader market-shaping
strategy, which seeks to negotiate lower prices and promote sustainable supply
chains so that malaria vaccines remain affordable and scalable, particularly
for low- and middle-income countries.
Significance of the Deal
¨
Increased Vaccine
Accessibility: The price cut and expanded supply will greatly improve access to
the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, especially in African countries where malaria is a
leading cause of child deaths.
¨
Scale-Up of Global
Immunization Efforts: The deal will enable vaccinating nearly 7 million
additional children over five years, significantly advancing global malaria
immunization and protecting more children at risk.
¨
Promoting a Sustainable
Market: The agreement supports creating a sustainable market for malaria
vaccines by reducing costs and improving supply reliability, which is essential
for low- and middle-income countries facing economic barriers.
¨
Global Health Equity:
Wider, cheaper access to R21/Matrix-M can drastically lower malaria cases and
child deaths, relieve health system burdens, and enhance health equity among
vulnerable communities globally.
Malaria
Nature of the Disease
¨
Malaria is a
life-threatening but preventable and curable disease.
¨
It is caused by a
parasite, not spread directly from person to person.
¨
The disease is most
prevalent in tropical countries.
¨
Transmission: Malaria
spreads primarily through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Parasite Species
¨
Five Plasmodium species
infect humans.
¨
P. falciparum: The
deadliest and most widespread across Africa.
¨
P. vivax: The major
parasite in countries outside sub-Saharan Africa.
¨
Other species include P.
malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi.
WHO’s prequalified vaccines
¨
R21/Matrix-M
(co-developed by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India, leveraging
Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant technology)
RTS, S/AS01 (developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), PATH and
