R21, which uses an adjuvant developed by Novavax to boost immune response, became the second malaria vaccine to be prequalified by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) in December 2023, following the organisation’s prequalification of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine in July 2022.
Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, is the largest cause of death in young African children, with over 600,000 deaths globally each year.
Despite high demand, WHO outlined that the available supply of RTS,S has been limited and expects the addition of R21 to result in sufficient vaccine supply for children living in areas where malaria is a significant public health risk.
