New malaria vaccine ‘safe and well tolerated’ in trials

Library image. Credit: Getty/Remains

By Storm Newton, PA Media

A new malaria vaccine that tackles the infection at a different stage to those currently on offer has been shown to be “safe and well tolerated” in clinical trials.

It is hoped the jab – RH5.1/Matrix-M – will “significantly reduce” the number of deaths and severe cases of the disease.

It targets malaria in the “blood stage”, which comes after the plasmodium falciparum parasite that causes the deadliest form of the disease passes through the liver.

Once red blood cells become infected, symptoms such as fever and chills begin, and can lead to complications including anaemia and organ failure.

Existing licensed jabs target the liver stage of malaria – which is symptomless – and are “very effective” at stopping parasites from getting into the blood, researchers said.

But if some “slip through the net”, existing jabs are not effective, experts said.

Angela Minassian, associate professor in the department of biochemistry, who leads the clinical blood-stage malaria vaccine programme at the University of Oxford, added: “Our goal, by targeting the blood stage of the disease with this vaccine, is to significantly reduce the number of severe cases and deaths.