Source: GlobalData
Egypt marks major achievement with malaria-free certification, but need for global R&D remains significant, says GlobalData
Posted in Pharma
The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as being malaria-free, following a near 100-year endeavour by the Egyptian government. Egypt is the third country to be declared malaria-free in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the 44th country globally. However, hundreds of millions of cases of malaria are still reported worldwide each year. These staggering numbers reinforce a global need for research and development, particularly for malaria vaccines, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Stephanie Kurdach, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Egypt’s malaria-free certification is a significant achievement, as this is a country which once recorded millions of cases. Unfortunately, the global burden of malaria remains high.”
The WHO reported nearly 250 million cases of malaria and over 600,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide in 2022.
In order to be certified malaria-free by the WHO, a country must prove that there has been no local transmission of any human malaria parasites for at least the past three consecutive years. Additionally, a country must maintain a fully functional surveillance and response system to prevent the re-establishment of indigenous transmission.
Egypt’s efforts to reduce mosquito-borne diseases began in the 1920s, when the country prohibited agricultural crops near homes. Other efforts over the past 100 years have included opening a malaria control station, recruiting thousands of healthcare workers, launching a public health surveillance project, and public education.
Kurdach continues: “To address the global burden of malaria and work towards global eradication, research and development is critical. Just as Egypt remains obligated to maintain surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment efforts throughout the nation, other nations plagued by malaria are in dire need of robust surveillance systems, diagnostic tools, affordable health care, and malaria vaccines.”
There are currently only two malaria vaccines which are WHO prequalified* and recommended for use in children: GSK’s Mosquirix and Serum Institute of India’s R21/Matrix-M.
According to GlobalData, there are 12 other malaria vaccines currently in Phase II development, including vaccines from BioNTech, GSK, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the University of Oxford. No new malaria vaccines are in Phase III development or pre-registration.
Kurdach concludes: “There is a serious global unmet need for malaria vaccines, which is evidenced by the late-stage development pipeline. Egypt’s malaria-free certification serves as a reminder and call to action that malaria elimination is possible with increased research and development.”
*The recommendations of Mosquirix and R21/Matrix-M by the WHO are relatively recent and occurred in 2021 and 2023, respectively.