Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by number of doses, marks a significant milestone with the shipment of its first set of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to Africa. 

The initial shipment will be sent to the Central African Republic (CAR), followed by other African countries such as South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo in the next coming days. In total, 1,63,800 doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine have been specifically allocated for CAR region, out of which only 43,200 doses have been dispatched today from Serum Institute of India’s facility.

Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the second malaria vaccine to be authorised for use in children in malaria-endemic regions.

The flag-off ceremony of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine took place at Serum Institute of India's facility in Pune.

The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, developed through collaboration between the Jenner Institute at Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India leveraging by Novavax’s saponin-based adjuvant technology, received support from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Wellcome Trust, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Till date, Serum Institute of India has manufactured 25 million doses with a capacity to scale up to 100 million doses annually.

Image caption- L-R- Natasha Poonawalla - Executive Director, Serum Institute of India, Chairperson, Villoo Poonawalla Foundation; Adar Poonawalla - CEO, Serum Institute of India and Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India with  R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine