India Introduces Home Grown Multi-stage Malaria Vaccine

The licensing of first indigenous multi-stage malaria vaccine AdFalciVax by India has been a significant milestone in the field of public health in the country. The vaccine was created by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and collaborating institutions and provides a low-cost, stable, and scalable remedy to deal with Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite. This innovation will not only reduce the spread of malaria, but also it will substantially alleviate burden of disease in India as well as other endemic countries.

Transference of technology and Development.

ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar developed the vaccine based on Lactococcus lactis as the production platform. Pre-clinical trials were done in partnership with National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) and National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi. ICMR has also welcomed pharmaceutical companies to transfer their technologies ( Transfer of Technology (ToT)) in order to achieve large-scale production and commercialisation.

Vaccine Characteristics and Benefits.

AdFalciVax is a recombinant, chimeric multi-stage vaccine, which is intended to induce immunity against various life cycle stages of malaria parasite. It prevents infection and onward transmission by preventing entry into the bloodstream by the parasites. Compared to several other vaccines, which demand cold chain storage, AdFalciVax can be kept at room temperature over a period of over nine months, thus favoring use in remote and resource-deprived locations. The model that is economical and scalable makes it a viable choice when it comes to implementing the program in the public health in India and other countries.

India Malaria Burden.

India remains under a high malaria burden with 1.4 percent of the global cases/0.9 percent of global deaths. In Southeast Asia, India has 66 percent of the malaria cases and 52 percent of malaria deaths outside of sub-Saharan Africa. India has almost 95 percent of its population living in malaria endemic regions and tribal and inaccessible regions carry an imbalanced burden of malaria in India. With many of these areas in need of a cold chain infrastructure that they can trust, a vaccine such as AdFalciVax that is kept at room temperature can be groundbreaking.

Relevance and Prognosis.

The introduction of AdFalciVax is indicative of the increased ability of India in native vaccine development and self-sufficiency in healthcare technology. This vaccine will enhance the malaria fighting efforts of India by being affordable, stable, and effective and help in the elimination of malaria globally. AdFalciVax can be a game-changer in securing vulnerable populations and establishing a world free of malaria with a successful rollout and community involvement.