GSK files EU regulatory submission for RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate

UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) announced today that it has submitted a regulatory application to the European Medicines Agency for its malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S.

RTS,S is intended exclusively for use against the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite, which is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Around 90% of estimated deaths from malaria occur in SSA, and 77% of these are in children under the age of five.

The EMA submission is the first step in the regulatory process toward making the RTS,S vaccine candidate available as an addition to existing tools currently recommended for malaria prevention. An effective vaccine for use alongside other measures such as bednets and anti-malarial medicines would represent an advance in malaria control. To-date there is no licensed vaccine available for the prevention of malaria.