October 18, 2011

The drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, reported today that they have created the world’s first successful malaria vaccine. Reuters reports the experimental drug cut the chances for infection in half during clinical trials in Africa where the disease claims thousands of lives per year.

While late stage clinical trials are still being completed, researchers have determined from data gathered from more than 6,000 cases of infected children between the ages of five and 17 –months-old, that three doses of the drug, Mosquirix, cut the risk of children developing clinical malaria by 56 percent and severe malaria by 47 percent.

Malaria is caused by a parasite in a mosquito’s saliva. Normally, when a host mosquito bites a human, the parasite is passed into the human bloodstream, where it makes home, develops, and multiplies in the liver. Mosquirix prevents the parasite from this development and reproduction by stimulating an immune system response.

Some experts are cautious of the company’s findings, citing that typically a vaccine should have a success rate greater than 80 percent before it’s released to the public.

The Texas Drug Injury Lawyers at Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel want to know your opinion. Should the company continue to work on the vaccine, possibly for years, until they see better results, or should they release the vaccine in order to immediatley start saving lives? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page.