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BETHESDA, Maryland, Feb. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In a report published today in Nature, (Sterile protection against human malaria by chemoattenuated PfSPZ vaccine) investigators from University of Tübingen reported all nine subjects (100%) immunized with three doses of Sanaria® PfSPZ-CVac malaria vaccine were protected against Plasmodium falciparum malaria when exposed to the disease 10 weeks after last vaccine dose.
Sanaria CEO, Stephen L. Hoffman, MD said, "Clinical trials of PfSPZ-CVac underway or soon to start in Germany, the U.S., Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Gabon, and Ghana will lead to an optimized vaccination regimen we expect to move rapidly into phase 3 clinical trials and licensure. Our goal is to use PfSPZ-CVac in mass vaccination programs to eliminate the malaria parasite and to prevent malaria in travelers."
PfSPZ-CVac is composed of live, purified malaria parasites and an antimalarial drug. Volunteers in the clinical trial received three 0.5 mL injections of the vaccine by rapid direct venous inoculation. There was no difference in adverse events between volunteers who received the vaccine and those who received the saltwater placebo.
The German Center for Infection Research funded the current trial with additional support from Sanaria, which receives support from multiple other institutions in the U.S., Europe, and Africa that participate in the International PfSPZ Consortium.
African children are hardest hit by malaria. In 2015 malaria caused 214M clinical episodes and 438,000 deaths worldwide according to WHO. This devastating impact occurs despite investment of billions of dollars in malaria control efforts. Malaria is also a concern for tourists, diplomats, business travelers, aid workers, industrial workers, and military personnel worldwide.
Professor Ogobara Doumbo, MD, PhD, Director of the Bamako Malaria Research Training Center (Mali), said, "Those of us in countries where people's lives are devastated by malaria have been waiting for a highly effective malaria vaccine for decades. We are excited about these results with PfSPZ-CVac, and are proud to be able to initiate the first field trials of PfSPZ-based vaccines in Mali, West Africa.
Professor of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Martin Grobusch MD, PhD, Director of the Center of Tropical Medicine at the University of Amsterdam's Academic Medical Center said, "Travelers continue to be at high risk of acquiring malaria. A vaccine like PfSPZ-CVac that provides complete protective immunity for 10 weeks and can be administered in less than two weeks will be an ideal tool for the prevention of malaria in the traveling population."
About Sanaria Inc.: Sanaria's mission is to commercialize whole-parasite malaria vaccines that confer high-level, long-lasting protection against malaria, and use these vaccines to prevent malaria in individuals and eliminate malaria from entire regions. Sanaria (http://www.sanaria.com) is based in Rockville, Maryland.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results or achievements expressed or implied by the statements made. For further information contact Alexander Hoffman, press@sanaria.com, 301-339-0092.
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