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Staged Roll-Out Of Malaria Vaccine Not Likely Before 2017

Staged Roll-Out Of Malaria Vaccine Not Likely Before 2017

From BusinessInsider. Story by Ben Hirschler.

The staged roll-out of malaria vaccine Mosquirix — the world’s first malaria vaccine, will be done gradually in Africa, its maker said Wednesday.

The vaccine won a green light last week from European drugs regulators.

“We believe that there should be a thoughtful, staged roll-out of this vaccine, particularly because it is important that we acquire more knowledge about where it really works the best,” GlaxoSmithKline CEO Andrew Witty told reporters.

Experts also need to build up a bigger database on safety, he added, since it is the first time a vaccine will have been launched in Africa without any history of use in developed countries.

Mosquirix still faces hurdles before being made available in Africa, with a review pending at the World Health Organization. It also needs the support of governments and other funders who will pay for it, suggesting it will not be in use before 2017, according to the WHO.

GlaxoSmithKline will not make any profit from Mosquirix. It will be priced at the cost of manufacture plus a 5-percent margin, which will be reinvested in research on malaria and other neglected tropical diseases.

Read more at BusinessInsider.