The world’s first malaria vaccine has cleared one of the final hurdles prior to being approved for use in Africa.<\/p>\n
The European Medicines Agency gave a positive scientific opinion after assessing its safety and effectiveness.<\/p>\n
It represents a ‘green light’ for the Mosquirix jab, developed by GlaxoSmithKline.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization will consider later this year whether to recommend it for children, among whom trials have yielded mixed results.<\/p>\n
Malaria kills around 584,000 people a year worldwide, most of them children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
‘Dream come true’<\/strong><\/p>\n
Mosquirix, otherwise known as the RTS,S vaccine, is the first against a parasitic infection in humans.<\/p>\n
Dr Ripley Ballou, head of research at GSK vaccines, said: “This is a hugely significant moment. I’ve been working on this vaccine for 30 years and this is a dream come true.”<\/p>\n
The company has not revealed the price of the vaccine, but has pledged not to make a profit from it.<\/p>\n