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Malaria vaccine still years away, say experts
2007-02-28 10:12:20
By Patrick Kisembo, Zanzibar
The world is still nowhere near coming up with a surefire vaccine for malaria, the coordinator of clinical trials with the African Malaria Network Trust (AMNT) has said.
Dr. Roman Chilengi said here yesterday that it might take up to 2015 to striking a 50-50 possibility of finding a vaccine for children from the leading killer disease in sub-Saharan Africa.
Addressing the fifth biennial scientific conference, the expert explained that it could probably not be before 2025 that there would be an 80 per cent possibility of coming up definitively with the eagerly awaited vaccine.
He gave the gloomy scenario as one of the reasons medical and development experts were gathered here to look into ways of getting the vaccine `to assist in the prevention of malaria and in particular among children under five years old and pregnant women`.
But the Vice Chancellor for Tanzania`s Tumaini University College, Prof John Shayo, was more optimistic. He the said indications were that the vaccine could be available in the country by as early as 2012.
`The development of the vaccine might be complete in five years to come, while the vaccine should then start being used three or so years after that.`
He said it would take long for the vaccine to be ready for public use because `some arrangements had to be put in place to know the exact dose for adults and children in order to minimise or prevent side-effects.
Prof Shayo explained that trials on the vaccine have gone beyond the animal stage and was now at the human stage.
`Experts have managed to establish that the vaccine is fit for immunisation and all that is still to be decided is the particular types of immunity,` he noted.
Dr Baraka Amuri, a research scientist from the Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre, subscribed to the view that a definitive vaccine for malaria was still far from found.
`Our centre is until now at the first stages of trials on the vaccine, which is on children. We are still analysing our findings to see if the trials are effective and successful enough,` he pointed out.
`We are in phase two of our trials, which is in human beings. But our vaccine cannot be licensed before all the processes are complete. We have to go through phases one to four,` he added.
According to Dr Amuri, it takes at least 15 years for a vaccine to be licensed for public use.
The centre’s director, Dr Hassan Mshinda, expressed hope that a malaria vaccine would be a reality `within a short period of time` although it was not likely to b e available in Tanzania before 2012 or 2014.
`Vaccines, tablets and medical drugs generally come in different types but we are sure to be able to try a vaccine that has been proved successful in Mozambique. We shall definitely bring it in Ifakara and try it,` he said.
Meanwhile, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences lecturer Hilderbert Maurice has said developing countries need to invest in research in the health sector `to help reduce the risk of losing manpower resulting from rises in deaths caused by diseases like malaria`.
Dr Maurice said this when asked why African nations took long to start conducting research on diseases.
`Malaria is basically a Third World disease and these nations do not have enough capital to invest in such research or they are just not interested, as their budgets are too small. They need to have enough funds to invest in health research,`he stated.
The don said it is very expensive to invest in research, noting:`For a new drug that needs to be investigated from scratch until it is ready for use more than US$1 billion must be spent.`
He said the investment would succeed only if there is teamwork and urged developing countries to put their heads together in medical research.
`It is not possible for one country or a small group of countries to invest in such costly ventures. What is important is for all African countries to work as a team,` he said.
Earlier, Dr Chilengi said African governments have been forced to venture into expensive malaria treatment and control initiatives because they have not invested adequately in the relevant medical research.
He noted that most medical drugs are manufactured in the West and the prices at which they are sold are higher than many ordinary people can afford.
`A single anti-malaria dose can cost up to 50 USD, which is horrendously high for an ordinary person,` he said, adding: `But the problem does not end there, as these tablets have conditions attached to them where a patient is required to eat very well before taking them.`
He said the cause of the mess was failure by African governments to invest heavily enough in health research and development.
`This shortcoming has triggered a serious concern among African scientists in that they are the ones most blamed for not coming up with solution to existing problems,` he observed.
The conference is organised by AMNT and has drawn delegates from 140 countries.
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