Why is the R21/Matrix malaria vaccine being called ‘revolutionary’? | Explained Premium

The R21/Matrix malaria vaccine is 75% effective in reducing episodes over a year, can be manufactured at scale, and is cost-effective. It has the potential to reduce the burden of malaria in Africa and beyond.

The World Health Organization has approved a new vaccine that scientists argue will be a game-changer in the fight against malaria, which kills half a million people in Africa every year. Trials have shown that the R21/Matrix vaccine, developed by Oxford University together with the Serum Institute of India, reduces malaria by up to 75%. It can be manufactured cheaply and on a mass scale. The Conversation Weekly spoke to chief investigator Adrian Hill, who is also director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, about this revolutionary vaccine. Below are edited excerpts from the podcast.

We’re seeing about 75% efficacy by counting the reduction in numbers of malaria episodes over a year. The best vaccine prior to this was about 50% over a year, and lower than that over three years.

This is a material improvement, but that’s not the main improvement. The big difference is how you can manufacture it at a scale that is really needed to protect most of the children who need a malaria vaccine in Africa.

There are about 40 million children born every year in malaria areas in Africa who would benefit from a vaccine. Ours is a four-dose vaccine over 14 months, so you need about 160 million doses. We can achieve that.

The Serum Institute of India, our manufacturing and commercial partner, can produce hundreds of millions of doses of this vaccine each year, whereas the previous vaccine could be manufactured at a scale of six million doses a year from 2023 to 2026, according to UNICEF reports.

The third real advantage of this vaccine is its cost. We were well aware that we couldn’t produce a US$100 vaccine. It wouldn’t fly for international agencies supporting the purchase and distribution of the vaccine in very low-income countries.

So where we are now is a price that’ll vary according to the scale, but at high volume it should be US$5 a dose.