New Delhi: India’s indigenous malaria vaccine candidate could take “a couple of years” before it is known whether it will be “available” for use, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl said Tuesday.
While a global malaria vaccine is already available and licensed, the Indian candidate is still under evaluation, the ICMR DG added.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the ICMR-SHINE initiative, a two-day programme to create awareness among school students about Science and Health Innovation for Nextgen Explorers (SHINE).
“It will still take a couple of years before we see whether that vaccine is available,” he said.
ICMR’s indigenous candidate, AdFalciVax, is a recombinant multi-stage malaria vaccine developed by ICMR’s Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar, with support from ICMR’s National Institute of Malaria Research and the National Institute of Immunology.
The vaccine is designed to target multiple stages of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria.
The ICMR had initially invited companies to take up technology transfer for the candidate in 2025. It subsequently granted non-exclusive licences to five companies—Indian Immunologicals, Techinvention Lifecare, Panacea Biotec, Biological E and Zydus Lifesciences—for further development and commercialisation.
However, the vaccine is not yet available for clinical use. Earlier reports had indicated a considerably longer timeline for its development.
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Dengue vaccine in Phase 3
Bahl said India’s indigenous dengue vaccine is further ahead, with the candidate currently in a Phase 3 trial. Final results are expected by the end of next year, he said.
India is also evaluating two tuberculosis vaccine candidates, Bahl said.
One is MTBVAC, for which Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is involved in the Indian development programme.
The other candidate is M72/AS01E, which is currently in a global Phase 3 trial sponsored by the Gates Medical Research Institute.
In July this year, the Serum Institute of India entered into an agreement with THE Gates Medical Research Institute to manufacture the vaccine candidate if it successfully completes trials and receives regulatory approvals.
The Gates Foundation and Wellcome are supporting the Phase 3 programme, while British pharma company GSK supplies the AS01E adjuvant.
The M72/AS01E Phase 3 trial began in 2024 and has enrolled about 20,000 participants across several countries. If successful, it could become the first new TB vaccine introduced in more than a century.
ICMR to work with states on stroke services
Bahl also spoke about the ICMR’s mobile stroke unit programme in the Northeast, which aims to take stroke services to vulnerable and far-flung areas.
The ambulances are equipped with small CT scanners that can determine whether a stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain or a blood clot. If it is a clot, treatment can be started inside the ambulance, he said.
“Every minute is precious,” Bahl said, adding that treating a stroke within the first two to four hours can help save brain function and reduce paralysis.
The ICMR has also helped develop a handheld device called Cerebral, which uses an infrared mechanism to detect bleeding inside the brain. The device is now under evaluation for strokes.
“Several state health secretaries have shown interest in the mobile stroke units,” Bahl said. “The ICMR will provide technical support and work with states on the programme.”
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)