Pune: Gavi and UNICEF have signed an agreement to buy large volumes of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine from the Serum Institute of India at a lower price.
The cost per dose will fall to 2.99 dollars from 4 dollars. Gavi says this price drop could save up to 90 million dollars in the coming years. The savings may help vaccinate almost seven million more children with about 30 million extra doses over five years.
Funding will come through Gavi’s International Finance Facility for Immunisation. The agreement supports Gavi’s wider plan to fund vaccines for illnesses such as cervical cancer, Ebola, malaria, meningitis, pneumonia, and rotavirus.
Vaccine Shows Strong Protection
R21 is a new malaria vaccine pre-qualified by the World Health Organization. It was developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India and uses the Matrix-M adjuvant from Novavax. Trials show it can cut malaria cases by more than half in the year after vaccination. When used in places with strong seasonal outbreaks, it can reduce cases by about 75 percent.
Urgent Need in High-Burden Regions
Malaria caused about 597000 deaths in 2024. Most of these deaths were among children under five. The African region continues to face the highest burden. Many communities still struggle to access basic prevention tools and treatment. Health agencies hope the lower price and larger supply of R21 will help countries protect more children and reduce deaths in the years ahead.
