SII’s first set of malaria vaccine doses shipped to Africa

Vaccine major Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday 20 May is shipping its first set of R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine to Africa. In total, 1,63,800 doses of malaria vaccine are specifically allocated for the Central African Republic (CAR) region, out of which only 43,200 doses are dispatched from SII facility, the company said in a statement.

"The initial shipment will be sent to the Central African Republic (CAR), followed by other African countries such as South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in the next coming days," the company said in a statement.

Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax’s Matrix-M™ adjuvant, the R21//Matrix-M vaccine is the second malaria vaccine to be authorized for use in children in malaria-endemic regions.

“As two diverse democracies, the United States and India have flourishing private sectors that foster innovation, knowledge, and access to high-quality healthcare. The development of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine represents a great step forward in our battle against this deadly parasite. The quality, affordable vaccines that will be produced through this partnership between Novavax and SII will prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths every year across the globe,” said the Hon. Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India.

The R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine, developed through collaboration between the Jenner Institute at Oxford University and the SII leveraging by Novavax’s saponin-based adjuvant technology, received support from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Wellcome Trust, and the European Investment Bank (EIB).