Paris, 15 sep (EFE).-A team of researchers from the French laboratory of biotechnology Synprosis has confirmed that its vaccine against malaria “MSP3”, currently on trial, “is already one of the two that has proved its effectiveness in endemic areas”.
Responsible for the team and former in the area of malaria of the Pasteur Institute, Pierre Druilhe, explained that the results obtained in recent years guarantee protection from a 64 and 77 percent for children vaccinated prior to 24 months, published today by the French daily “Le Figaro”.
The researchers noted that while good results must be confirmed in studies on a larger scale, the vaccine can “compete” with the current favorite in the field of international research, the so-called “RTS, S” developed by the British Pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline.
The full results are published today the “New England Journal of Medicine”, and correspond to the tests since 2007 held in Burkina Faso with a group of 45 children.
Druilhe explained that the vaccine, which is already being tested in a large study in Mali whose results are expected by 2012, is a mechanism of action very different from the of the “RTS, S”, because the last acts in the early stage of infection while the “MSP3” intervenes at the time of its manifestations clinics.
The age of the patients in the sample is that the key age is between 12 and 24 months, the majority of deaths from malaria occur prior to the five years.
The disease, also known as malaria is transmitted by parasites and today threatens to 2 billion people living in endemic areas, particularly in Africa and Asia, as well as ending the lives of 800,000 people every year. EFE
