Interview
Q & A with John Tanko Baw
John Tanko Bawa, CVIA’s Team Lead for Vaccine Implementation in Africa, discusses the significanc of recent RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine milestones following the 2021 WHO recommendation and work to optimize the use of this vaccine.
Q: What is the significance of WHO prequalification for RTS,S?
A: WHO prequalification is a critical step in expanding access. This designation allows UNICEF to purchase RTS,S, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to provide financial assistance to eligible countries. Gavi recently opened a US$155.7 million funding window to support the introduction of malaria vaccines in eligible countries between 2022 and 2025.
Q: What is the next step for this vaccine?
A: We expect to see its use expand in the three countries participating in the pilot introduction of RTS,S—Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi—thanks to a recent grant from Open Philanthropy to PATH. This expansion will make the vaccine available to children in pilot areas not previously eligible. Other countries will start submitting applications to Gavi starting in January 2023 to introduce the vaccine.
Q: What else is PATH doing with RTS,S?
A: We are supporting research to continue learning how best to use and deploy RTS,S, including in highly seasonal malaria settings. We have learned that targeted immunization aligned with peak transmission season combined with seasonal malaria drugs can have profound effects. We’re also working with GSK and partners in Ghana and Kenya on a fractional dosing study to see if we can make the doses we have go further. In partnership with several academic and research institutes, we’re also working to identify immune correlates of protection for malaria vaccines using data from RTS,S clinical trials.
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