New Malaria Vaccine Shows 95% Efficacy in Largest-Ever Trial

Malaria kills over 600,000 people every year, the vast majority of them children in Africa. A new vaccine may finally bring that number close to zero. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, achieved 95% efficacy in a Phase III trial involving 100,000 children across 12 African countries — making it by far the most effective malaria vaccine ever developed. 'This is a once-in-a-generation moment for global health,' said Dr. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute. 'We now have a tool that can realistically eradicate malaria within our lifetimes.' The vaccine costs less than $3 per dose and requires only two shots, making it practical for mass deployment in resource-limited settings. GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, has committed to funding 200 million doses for 2027. 'My daughter won't have to fear malaria the way I did,' said Amina Diallo, a mother in Bamako, Mali. 'That feels like a miracle.'