Bid to save children within grasp

One of Africa’s toughest challenges — malaria — is finally getting the attention it deserves. For the past week in Nairobi, the world’s leading malaria experts met at the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Conference to review the latest strategies to fight the disease.

We are clearly making progress. But for us to win the war, we will need long-lasting insecticide impregnated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, the best drugs and new technologies. With a vaccine candidate now in a late stage Phase III trial across Africa, we are closer than ever before to having a new tool that could strengthen the arsenal at our disposal.

Called RTS,S, the candidate vaccine is full of “firsts.” It is the first malaria vaccine designed primarily for Africa, and, if effective, will be the first vaccine against a human parasite. RTS,S was also the first malaria vaccine developed in close coordination with dozens of talented African researchers, including scientists from three institutes in Kenya, Northern institutions, NGOs and private firms.

I’m privileged to be part of this effort in Kilifi at the Kemri-Wellcome Trust Medical Research Institute, where many children are already enrolled in the trial. I’m proud of the leadership across Africa, including that of officials in Kenya, and the strong collaborations around the globe.

Out of more than 70 candidates at various stages, RTS,S is the most advanced. Within Africa’s grasp, is a vaccine that could redefine the future of our children. Findings last year showed that RTS,S reduced the risk of malaria by half. And the vaccine will be easier to implement, as it can be used alongside others routinely given to infants. RTS,S has the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of African children and improving the lives of millions.

THE TRIAL IS ON SCHEDULE, WITH more than 5,000 children enrolled across seven countries. Eleven sites in Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania are conducting the trial. In the last few years, a lot time and other resources have been invested to ensure the trial sites are operating at the highest safety and ethical standards.

Behind this vaccine is the RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership Committee (CTPC), a unique collaboration that links more than 20 world-class research institutes, both in Africa and around the globe. The partnership also includes GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, the vaccine’s developer and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, and is strongly supported by the Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The trial will leave another legacy in Africa. Before the pivotal Phase III trial launch, the CTPC and its partners worked hard to make sure each site was fully equipped. As a result, district hospitals in Kilifi, Kombewa and Siaya now have access to sophisticated medical equipment, and healthcare has improved in surrounding communities.

The CTPC also ensures that insecticide-impregnated bed nets are used and that host communities are educated about malaria prevention. These, as I can see at my own research institute, are already bolstering the fight against malaria, and will help test vaccine and tools to fight other diseases such as tuberculosis and Aids.

As the MIM conference draws to a close, researchers, policy-makers and malaria advocates leave Nairobi having explored new avenues for fighting malaria, including the powerful role a vaccine can play. A decade ago, such a gathering would have been unthinkable. Perhaps the elimination of malaria is within our grasp.

Dr Njuguna is the chair of RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership Committee.