Bharat Biotech to begin supplies of GSK's malaria vaccine RTS.S to GAVI in 2026
Bharat Biotech International will start supplying world's first malaria vaccine RTS.S, developed by global biopharma major GSK, to vaccine alliance Gavi from 2026.
The supplies form part of pledges by both companies to Gavi for its next replenishment phase (Gavi 6.0, 2026-2030), the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said on Wednesday, announcing it will also progressively reduce price of the vaccine by more than half to less than $5 by 2028.
Process improvements, expanded production capacity, cost-effective manufacturing and minimal profit margins will be factors driving down the price, it said.
RTS,S was the first malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021.
Technology transfer
Since then, GSK has made significant investments to enhance production capacity and efficiency and to undertake the planned technology transfer to Bharat Biotech, which in parallel, invested over $200 million in new, higher-output manufacturing facilities, product development and technology transfers. These enhancements have enabled a phased reduction in the price of the malaria vaccine, starting immediately and fully realised by 2028, when the transfer of production between the two companies is complete, it said.
With Gavi's support, 12 endemic countries in Africa will introduce RTS,S through routine immunisation programmes by 2025.
'By joining forces with GSK and working closely with Gavi and the WHO, we are taking a real step toward closing the gap between vaccine supply and the urgent needs of children at risk of malaria,' Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman Krishna Ella said.
GSK's Chief Global Health Officer Thomas Breuer said 'We partnered with Bharat Biotech in 2021 with a common goal... Today, we announce GSK's contribution to the long-term price ambition of the world's first malaria vaccine, a key milestone achieved through collaboration with Bharat Biotech and partners from Gavi, PATH and the WHO.'
The GSK team has worked hand in hand with Bharat Biotech to transfer the vaccine manufacturing technology, while simultaneously implementing crucial improvements in manufacturing efficiencies, resulting in the pledge to the Gavi replenishment, he said.
'Our ambition is to protect at least 50 million more children across Africa by the end of 2030 and this collaboration between GSK and Bharat Biotech helps put this goal firmly within reach,' Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar said.
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