Malaria vaccine could pave the way for global advances

Subject

Implications of the first malaria vaccine to complete human testing.

Significance

In April, the results of a last-stage clinical trial revealed RTS,S/AS01 to be the first malaria vaccine to successfully complete human testing and show efficacy in children. It was long believed that it might not be possible to produce a malaria vaccine that is safe and effective enough for human use. This vaccine would also be the first licensed vaccine against a parasite -- all other vaccines protect either against viruses or bacteria. African national regulatory authorities are expected to decide whether RTS,S/AS01 will be approved for human use within 2015.

Impacts

• Increasing drug resistance could worsen the malaria epidemic.
• However, the protection offered by RTS,S/AS01 could reduce the use of antimalarial drugs, which could slow the advance of drug resistance.
• Redirecting financing from current control measures, such as bed nets, to RTS,S/AS01 programmes alone would threaten malaria gains.