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Research Roundup: Malaria vaccine rollout, Alternative pediatric HIV treatment, Marburg and Ebola Sudan vaccine investment

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US President's Malaria Initiative

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

July 10, 2023 by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone

Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. 

Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF have announced that an initial 18 million doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, will be rolled out in 12 African countries, where the risk of child illness and deaths from malaria is highest. The vaccine, which will be produced by GlaxoSmithKline and Bharat Biotech, is expected to arrive in the initial countries in late 2023. A further 16 countries have also asked for access and are expected to receive it once production has scaled up. Another malaria vaccine, R21, developed by Oxford University is currently awaiting WHO prequalification. In the coming years, both vaccines are expected to play a key role in the fight against malaria alongside other tools.

A study published last week found that injections of broadly neutralizing antibodies in children living with HIV can improve the protective effects of antiretroviral drugs, marking the first time broadly neutralizing antibodies have been tested in combination with antiretroviral drugs in a pediatric population. The treatment suppressed cells that contained the virus and were capable of reactivating, paving the path to further research that could confirm the use of this method as a supplemental or alternative treatment for HIV in children. The publication of these findings follows recent research, which has focused on testing broadly neutralizing antibodies as a treatment for adults with HIV. Worldwide, about 1.7 million infants and children are living with HIV.

Last week, Gavi confirmed that some of the $2.6 billion remaining in COVAX, the COVID-19 vaccine delivery initiative, could be redirected towards furthering investigational vaccine candidates for Marburg and Ebola Sudan, as well as a hexavalent vaccine that would offer protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and the inactivated polio vaccine. The investments for Marburg and Ebola Sudan will hopefully contribute to ensuring clinical trials in future outbreaks, especially after the scrapped trials during the recent Marburg and Ebola Sudan outbreaks.

Categories: Child health, COVID-19, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Pandemic preparedness, Research Roundup, Vaccines, WHO

About the author

Hannah Sachs-WetstoneGHTC

Hannah supports advocacy and communications activities and member coordination for GHTC. Her role includes developing and disseminating digital communications, tracking member and policy news, engaging coalition members, and organizing meetings and events.Prior to joining GHTC,...read more about this author

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July 11, 2023

USAID outlines new strategy for global health research and development

Written by Marissa Chmiola / GHTC
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The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently released a new five-year strategy to guide its global health research and development (R&D) efforts. Informed by the input of more than 150 stakeholders, the latest strategy continues the agency’s core focus on developing, introducing, and scaling up health technologies and approaches; advancing implementation science; and strengthening R&D systems while more intentionally embedding approaches of partnership, local leadership, monitoring and evaluation, and adaptive learning into its work.Why it matters:  The release of the strategy represents a renewed commitment by the agency to R&D. For more than 50 years, USAID has played a pivotal role in saving and improving lives around the world through its R&D programs. With its strong in-country presence, relationships with government and community leaders, and extensive knowledge of local context and development constraints, USAID is uniquely qualified to advance interventions that are affordable, accessible, scalable, and responsive to the needs of affected communities worldwide.What’s included: The strategy outlines a mission, vision, four objectives, 16 key actions, four approaches, and four principles that will guide its R&D work. View the slide deck below to get a summary overview.Our take: GHTC applauds USAID for developing this comprehensive strategy and for its inclusive design approach, which considered the input of a broad spectrum of US and global stakeholders. We are pleased to see this renewed commitment to R&D and the strategy’s increased emphasis on local leadership; inclusive innovation; and meeting the needs of women, children, and other vulnerable populations.
USAID
July 3, 2023

Research Roundup: Phase 3 TB vaccine trials, Pooled vaccine inventory scheme, COVID-19 antiviral licences

Written by Hannah Sachs-Wetstone / GHTC
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Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. Last week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust announced that they will jointly invest more than $500 million in phase 3 trials for the GSK-developed M72/AS01E tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, which could become the first new tuberculosis vaccine in 100 years. 2018 phase 2b trials showed that the vaccine was 50 percent effective, but after GSK pulled out because they did not see a commercial market for the vaccine, the company passed the license to the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute in 2020. The phase 3 trials will involve 26,000 people in Africa and Southeast Asia, hopefully confirming the vaccine’s viability as TB cases and deaths rise around the world.A new initiative led by Gavi, the World Health Organization, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations will work to stockpile experimental vaccines for infectious diseases with epidemic potential to improve preparedness for future outbreaks. This global virtual pooled inventory will initially focus on Marburg and the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there are no existing vaccines or proven treatments. Last year’s outbreaks in Africa of these two hemorrhagic fevers saw aborted attempts to move forward clinical trials for vaccines, losing crucial opportunities to gather essential data on potential tools and highlighting the need for this kind of stockpiling, preparation, and partnership.The Medicines Patent Pool recently announced sublicensing agreements with seven manufacturers to produce and distribute generic versions of Shionogi’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries, improving availability and equitable access in these countries, even after the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The oral antiviral, Ensitrelvir, is currently only approved in Japan, although it is being considered in the United States and all 117 countries in the agreements. Medicines Patent Pool previously signed sublicensing agreements with Pfizer in 2021 to manufacture and distribute its treatment, Paxlovid, in 95 low- and middle-income countries.