GlaxoSmithKline said on Thursday it is applying for regulatory approval for the world’s first vaccine against malaria, designed for children in Africa.
The British drugmaker said the shot, called RTS,S, is intended exclusively for use outside the European Union but will be evaluated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, kills more than 600,000 people a year, mainly babies in the poorest parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Experts have long hoped that scientists would be able to develop an effective vaccine against the disease, and scientists at GSK have been working on this one for 30 years.
If this is approved, expect a huge impact on their share price.
Read more here
Hi Ugo,
This is a very welcomed development. Mosquitoes have had a field day for God knows how long. I had a look at the link you posted and noticed a caveat for investors that hope to capitalize on this http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL6N0PZ3L220140724?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
Basically, the news report states that … “If approved, the vaccine is unlikely to be anything other than neutral for GSK’s bottom line. The firm has promised it will be priced at cost of manufacture plus a 5 percent margin, and the margin would be reinvested in research on malaria and other neglected tropical diseases”.