Life-saving drug trials halted after unexpected move by US government: 'Our priority remains the safety and care of participants'
The U.S. funding freeze on international aid has put the development of an anti-malaria drug in jeopardy.
Scientists at Oxford University in England halted trials on two innovative malaria vaccines in January after the Trump administration put a 90-day pause on USAID payments. The Telegraph reported on the news, explaining that these vaccines aim to stop the malaria infection from reaching the blood, the most severe stage of the disease.
At least 42 volunteers had started a vaccine trial, with some receiving the experimental vaccine within the month leading up to the trial stoppage. The trial was not expected to continue if aid was not received, meaning that volunteers would have put themselves at risk unnecessarily, the publication added. Though rare, possible risks for trial participants included anaphylactic shock and Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to documents cited by the outlet.
"We are aware of the current issues affecting USAID funding and are monitoring developments," the university told the Telegraph, which also indicated funding might come from other sources if needed. "Our priority remains the safety and care of participants in any trials."
In early March, Reuters reported that some decisions to withdraw U.S. funding would be reversed — and that "work on the USAID-funded supply chain for malaria drugs, nets and tests could also restart." A federal judge has also ruled that the U.S. must make payments to some foreign aid contractors and grant recipients. However, it was not immediately clear if U.S. funding or funding from other sources would fully restore the Oxford trials.
Malaria killed close to 600,000 people in 2023, the Telegraph reported in December, and many of them are children in Africa.
Scientists have said malaria rates may surge, at least in some places, as warming global temperatures and wetter weather in many areas are creating the perfect conditions for disease-carrying mosquitoes to thrive and expand their territory.
For instance, malaria has reached higher elevations in the Ethiopian Highlands due to rising temperatures, according to Climate.gov. Plus, a recent study predicts that several mosquito species' populations will expand their ranges in North and South America in the coming years, thanks to warming weather trends.
Another vector-borne disease, dengue, exploded in 2024, with the World Mosquito Program calling it the "worst year for dengue cases on record."
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Scientists are working on a handful of vaccines to help beat malaria. For instance, one vaccine that was deployed during a four-year pilot program in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi resulted in a 13% decrease in malaria-related deaths among young children.
Meanwhile, scientists are also working to stop mosquito populations from expanding. For instance, one team in Florida is using special X-rays to wipe out invasive mosquitoes that carry dengue, Zika, and other illnesses.
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