International African Vaccinology Conference, Cape Town, South
Africa-Results from a pivotal, large-scale Phase III trial,
published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine,
show that the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate can help protect
African infants against malaria. When compared to immunization
with a control vaccine, infants (aged 6-12 weeks at first
vaccination) vaccinated with RTS,S had one-third fewer episodes
of both clinical and severe malaria and had similar reactions to
the injection. In this trial, RTS,S demonstrated an acceptable
safety and tolerability profile. Eleven African research centres
in seven African countries are conducting this trial, together
with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the PATH Malaria Vaccine
Initiative (MVI), with grant funding from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to MVI. Dr. Salim Abdulla, a principal
investigator for the trial from the Ifakara Health Institute,
Tanzania, said: "We've made significant progress in recent years
in our battle against malaria, but