Serum Institute Ships First Batch Of Malaria Vaccine To African Nation

The Serum Institute of India has notched another first to its name. The Cyrus Poonawalla-led vaccine giant has flagged off its first consignment of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to the Central African Republic (CAR) in the presence of Eric Garcetti, the U.S. Ambassador to India. The 43,200 doses shipped are part of the 1,63,800 doses allocated by the WHO to the Central African Republic. Doses for South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo are set to be shipped in coming days. Developed in collaboration with Oxford University and Novavax, the R21/Matrix-M is only the second vaccine to be authorised for children in malaria-endemic regions.