Oxford Malaria vaccine becomes first to reach WHO efficacy goal

The first malaria vaccine to show more than 75% efficacy, a World Health Organization specified goal, has been developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, according to a study published in The Lancet journal.

The shot against the mosquito-borne disease was trialed in 450 children ages five to 17 months in Burkina Faso and shows a "favorable safety profile and was well-tolerated,” according to the team at the university’s Jenner Institute. Finding more effective vaccines has been a critical goal in fighting a disease that kills about 400,000 people a year, largely in sub-Saharan Africa, with most being children under the age of five. The candidate, called R21, is 77% effective against malaria, according to the study, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed.