Vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India has begun exports of the ‘R21/Matrix-M’ malaria vaccine to Africa. The vaccine is developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant. Adar Poonawalla, and the Ambassador of the United States of America to India, Eric Garcetti flagged off the first consignment of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine doses on Monday, May 20. The initial shipment is for the Central African Republic followed by other malaria-endemic countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days. In total, over 1 lakh sixty three thousand doses have been allocated specifically for the CAR region, with 43,200 doses dispatched from SII’s facility in Pune on Monday.
Serum has been in the news recently as the company bought 20% in private company IntegriMedical. The partnership aims to accelerate the development and commercialisation of IntegriMedical’s Needle-Free Injection System (N-FIS) technology, making it more accessible to patients in India and globally.
IntegriMedical’s N-FIS technology uses a high-velocity jet stream powered by mechanical force to administer biologics and drugs effectively, providing a pain-free alternative to traditional needle-based injections. This innovation is particularly beneficial for needle-phobic patients and aims to enhance patient comfort and compliance.
