RTS,S Malaria Vaccine (GSK) disappoints

The effectiveness of a Malaria Vaccine, RTS,S, developed by GlaxoSmithKline wanes over time, with the shot protecting only 16.8 percent of children over four years, according to trial data. The disappointing results for RTS,S - the world's first potential malaria vaccine - raise further questions about whether it can make a difference in the fight against the disease, a major cause of illness and death among children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Results from a separate trial last year showed the vaccine was only 30 percent effective in babies.Published in the New England Journal of Medicine the new data found that although RTS,S initially had a protection rate as high as 53 percent, after an average of eight months that effectiveness faded.

see- "Four-Year Efficacy of RTS,S/AS01E and Its Interaction with Malaria Exposure"-March 21, 2013 -Olotu A., Fegan G., Wambua J., et al.-N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1111-1120