GSK, PATH, Bharat Biotech sign pact for malaria vaccine

Bharat Biotech (BBIL) has tied upwith pharma major GSK, and PATH, a global team of innovatorsworking to accelerate health equity, for GSKs malariavaccine, RTS,S/AS01E1, the city-based vaccine maker said hereon Wednesday.

The agreement includes the transfer of manufacturing ofthe RTS,S antigen part of the vaccine and the grant of alicense on all rights pertaining to the RTS,S/AS01 malariavaccine to Bharat Biotech, while GSK would retain theproduction of the adjuvant of the vaccine (AS01E) and supplyit to BBIL, the company said in a press release.

BBIL was selected through a comprehensive, competitiveprocess undertaken by GSK and PATH, working in consultationwith the World Health Organization, it said.

The RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine, developed by GSK formore than 30 years, and in partnership with PATH since 2001,iscurrently being piloted in regions of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawiunder the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP).

Thomas Breuer, GSK Vaccines Chief Medical Officer andVaccines Global Health lead said: ''With a child still dying ofmalaria every two minutes, helping secure the long-term futureof the only vaccine available by working with an establishedleader like Bharat Biotech is vital for the continued fightagainst this devastating disease.

GSK is delighted to sign this agreement with BharatBiotech''.

John Bawa, Africa Lead, Vaccine Implementation, PATH,said ''Now, with the signing of this agreement with BharatBiotech, we have an additional, new partner to help ensurethat this vaccine can be more widely available for use inAfrica, alongside other malaria interventions, in the years tocome''.

Krishna M Ella, Bharat Biotech, Chairman and ManagingDirector said: ''We salute the commitment by GSK, PATH, andpartners, in developing a novel vaccine against malaria, adreaded disease with more than 200 million cases worldwide.

We are truly honoured to support this partnership and toprovide global access to RTS,S/AS01E.

With prior expertise in malaria research,WHO pre-qualified vaccines, supplied to more than 70 countries, BharatBiotech is geared up for large-scale manufacturing, and toprovide continuous long-term supply of this life-savingvaccine''.