A malaria vaccine candidate has shown promising results in protecting women of childbearing age from infection — a protection that can extend during pregnancy.
In a Phase 2 trial conducted in Mali, women who were planning to get pregnant were given doses of the first-generation PfSPZ vaccine by U.S.-based biotechnology company Sanaria. The trial showed the vaccine could protect the women against malaria infection for at least two years — through two malaria transmission seasons — without receiving a booster dose. Protection was also observed among those who became pregnant after vaccination, and the vaccine was well-tolerated and safe among mothers and their newborns.
The results pave the way for the vaccine to be trialed in pregnant women, a population that suffers greatly when infected with malaria. In Africa, where the majority of cases are caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, malaria is known to cause an estimated 50,000 maternal deaths during pregnancy and 200,000 stillbirths annually. But no vaccine has been tested or approved for pregnant people, who are often excluded from clinical trials due to safety concerns.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
