India brings in industry partners to manufacture and commercialise its first indigenous multi-stage malaria vaccine

India has licensed Indian Immunologicals Limited, Techinvention Lifecare Private Limited, Panacea Biotec Limited, Biological E Limited, and Zydus Lifesciences for manufacturing and commercialisation of its first indigenous multi-stage malaria vaccine developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and its partners. 

The vaccine targets the parasite before it enters the bloodstream, preventing transmission, and is an affordable, stable, and scalable solution and remains effective for 9+ months at room temperature, said the Council. 

ICMR had invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, and manufacturers for undertaking ‘Transfer of Technology’ for commercialisation of “a recombinant chimeric multi-stage malaria vaccine (AdFalciVax) against Plasmodium falciparum” useful in preventing Plasmodium falciparum infection in humans and minimising its community transmission. 

The goal was to facilitate the commercialisation of this vaccine to prevent and minimise malaria transmission.

“ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar (ICMR-RMRCBB) is one of the four constituent institutes that has led the development of the technology and has technical know-how of the process to produce this recombinant chimeric multi-stage malaria vaccine in Lactococcus lactis. The pre-clinical validation of this technology was conducted in collaboration with ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), another constituent institute of ICMR, and National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, an autonomous research institute of the Department of Biotechnology,” added the Council.

Malaria remains one of the major public health problems in India. The country carries 1.4% of the global malaria case burden, 0.9% of global malaria deaths (52% of all malaria deaths outside of sub-Saharan Africa), and accounted for 66% of cases in the Southeast Asia region. 

In India, about 95% of the country resides in malaria-endemic areas and 80% of malaria reported in the country is confined to areas consisting of 20% of population residing in tribal, hilly, difficult, and inaccessible areas.