GSK Malaria Candidate Vaccine First to be Recommended by European Regulators

EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive scientific opinion for GSK's malaria candidate vaccine Mosquirix, also known as RTS,S, in children aged 6 weeks to 17 months.    RTS,S was developed in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and is the first candidate vaccine for the prevention of malaria to reach this milestone. While other vaccines tackle viruses or bacteria, RTS,S has been designed to prevent malaria caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In 2013, there were an estimated 584,000 deaths from malaria with around 90% of these occurring in SSA, and 83% in children under the age of five in SSA.   GSK has committed to a not-for-profit price for RTS,S. If approved, the price of RTS,S would cover the cost of manufacturing the vaccine together with a small return of around five per cent that will be reinvested in research and development for second-generation malaria vaccines, or vaccines against other neglected tropical diseases.   Two of the WHO’s independent advisory groups, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC) will now jointly review the evidence base for RTS,S and make a joint policy recommendation for how it might be used alongside other tools to prevent malaria in the event the vaccine candidate is approved by national regulatory authorities in SSA. The WHO has indicated that such a policy recommendation may be possible by end of this year.