President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given details of Ghana’s decision to approve the new malaria vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University.
The malaria vaccine- R21 which will be administered to newborns and kids up to three years will help fight malaria which has become a killer disease among children.
Speaking at the inauguration of DEK Manufacturing Plant in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said government gave the approval because the vaccine has proven to be safe.
“The approval was granted following an extensive series of reviews and further peer reviews of the non-clinical and clinical quality parts of the vaccines. The R21 malaria vaccine has been approved for use for the immunisation of children between 5 months and 36 months against malaria,” President Akufo-Addo explained.
The vaccine was developed by Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) disclosed that it has given market authorisation to the new malaria vaccine – R21 described as a ‘world changer’.
The FDA said after a thorough evaluation of the quality, efficacy, and safety of the vaccine,it realized that the benefits far outweigh the risks.
