More Malaria Vaccines to Save Children’s Lives

A four-year agreement has been signed to secure the supply of the world’s second malaria vaccine, guaranteeing that children will have access to the life-saving serum as the vaccine plays a crucial role in the fight against malaria.

“It is heartbreaking and unacceptable that almost half a million children die of malaria every year,” states Leila Pakkala, Director of UNICEF Supply Division. “This agreement is a critical step towards protecting more children from this deadly disease.”

A four-year agreement was struck with Serum Life Sciences for the R21/Matrix-M, the world’s second malaria vaccine, to be sufficiently available from mid-2024 until 2028. This agreement complements the landmark first malaria vaccine RTS, S/AS01, whose delivery is set to late 2023. Both vaccines aim at eradicating Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite globally and the most prevalent in Africa.