European drugs regulators approve world's first malaria vaccine

European drugs regulators have voiced their approval for the world's first malaria vaccine, representing a major step toward prevention of a disease that kills more than half a million people worldwide every year - most of whom are children in Africa. After assessing the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine - called RTS,S (brand name Mosquirix) - the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) conclude it should be used for immunization of children in Africa aged 6 weeks to 17 months, alongside other protective measures against malaria - such as insecticides and bed nets.
The CHMP recommendation is the first step toward RTS,S becoming the first licensed vaccine for malaria. Later this year, independent advisory groups from the World Health Organization (WHO) will review evidence for the vaccine and decide whether to recommend its use.  Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted to humans through the bite of Anopheles mosquitoes.
The most deadly malaria parasite is Plasmodium falciparum, which the RTS,S vaccine targets. The vaccine works by inducing an immune response in the body when P. falciparum first enters the bloodstream, preventing the parasite from infecting and multiplying in the liver.
    MNT

 

European drugs regulators approve worlds first malaria vaccine

European drugs regulators have voiced their approval for the worlds first malaria vaccine, representing a major step toward prevention of a disease that kills more than half a million people worldwide every year - most of whom are children in Africa. After assessing the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine - called RTS,S (brand name Mosquirix) - the European Medicines Agencys (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) conclude it should be used for immunization of children in Africa aged 6 weeks to 17 months, alongside other protective measures against malaria - such as insecticides and bed nets. The CHMP recommendation is the first step toward RTS,S becoming the first licensed vaccine for malaria. Later this year, independent advisory groups from the World Health Organization (WHO) will review evidence for the vaccine and decide whether to recommend its use. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted to humans through the bite of Anopheles mosquitoes. The most deadly malaria parasite is Plasmodium falciparum, which the RTS,S vaccine targets. The vaccine works by inducing an immune response in the body when P. falciparum first enters the bloodstream, preventing the parasite from infecting and multiplying in the liver. MNT