■ Bharat Biotech to offer malaria vaccine below $5 by 2028 

■ $200M invested in scaling up production 

■ Gavi-backed rollout in 12 African countries by end of 2025 

■ WHO data shows major reduction in deaths and severe cases 

■ New vaccine candidate under development at GSK

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Bharat Biotech and GSK have announced a landmark initiative to reduce the price of RTS,S, the world’s first malaria vaccine for children, to under $5 in endemic countries by 2028. This significant price reduction—more than 50%—was unveiled as part of their pledges to Gavi’s sixth replenishment cycle, covering the period 2026–2030. It represents a major effort to ensure broader accessibility of the vaccine, especially in malaria-prone regions of Africa.

The vaccine was initially developed by GSK, PATH, and other partners and was recommended by the World Health Organization in 2021. Since then, substantial efforts have been made to scale up production and streamline technology transfer to Bharat Biotech. In response, Bharat Biotech has invested over $200 million in enhancing its manufacturing infrastructure, product development, and absorbing the transferred know-how. These investments have helped make large-scale production more efficient, enabling a phased price cut that will be fully implemented by 2028.

With support from Gavi, 12 African countries are set to integrate RTS,S into their routine immunisation programmes by the end of 2025. The decision follows promising outcomes from the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, where over two million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi were vaccinated between 2019 and 2023. The World Health Organization observed a 13% decline in all-cause mortality and a 22% drop in severe malaria hospitalisations among children eligible for the vaccine in these countries.

The announcement has been hailed by global health leaders as a pivotal moment. Dr. Krishna Ella of Bharat Biotech described it as a commitment to equity, innovation, and accessibility, while GSK’s Dr. Thomas Breuer credited the collaboration for achieving major efficiency and sustainability goals.

Alongside other interventions like insecticide-treated nets and seasonal chemoprevention, the malaria vaccine is now a vital part of global malaria control. GSK is also developing a new vaccine targeting different stages of the malaria parasite to further strengthen the global response and support elimination efforts.