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Bharat Biotech, GSK to cut malaria vaccine price by half for children
The price of the world's first malaria vaccine, RTS,S, is set to be reduced by more than half, to under $5 per dose, for children in endemic countries. The reduction has been announced by Bharat Biotech International (BBIL) and GSK plc, as part of their pledges to the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance replenishment process for 2026–30.
The lower price is attributed to process improvements, expanded production capacity, cost-effective manufacturing, and minimal profit margins. The phased reduction will begin immediately and is expected to be fully realised by 2028, coinciding with the completion of technology transfer from GSK to Bharat Biotech.
RTS,S was first recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021. Since then, GSK has invested in enhancing production capacity, efficiency, and in the technology transfer to Bharat Biotech. Bharat Biotech has invested over $200 million in new manufacturing facilities, product development, and technology transfers to support this effort.
With support from Gavi, 12 endemic countries in Africa are projected to introduce RTS,S through routine immunisation programmes by the end of 2025. This initiative is the result of collaboration between GSK, Bharat Biotech, PATH, the WHO, implementing countries, MedAccess and Gavi.
According to the WHO's Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi — where over 2 million children received RTS,S between 2019 and 2023 — the vaccine led to a 13 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality and a 22 per cent drop in hospitalisations from severe malaria in eligible children. When administered seasonally alongside seasonal malaria chemoprevention, the WHO-recommended malaria vaccines have been shown to prevent about 75 per cent of malaria episodes.
Bharat Biotech's executive chairman, Krishna Ella, described the announcement as a commitment to global equity, and said the collaboration aims to bridge the gap between vaccine supply and the needs of children at risk of malaria.
GSK's chief global health officer, Thomas Breuer, said the company's contribution to the long-term price reduction was enabled by manufacturing improvements and technology transfer to Bharat Biotech.
Gavi chief executive Sania Nishtar said the partnership supports the goal of protecting 50 million more children in Africa from malaria by 2030. Kwaku Poku Asante of the Kintampo Health Research Centre said the reduced price could enable broader protection for children in the most affected communities.
Malaria vaccines are part of a broader WHO-recommended toolkit, which includes bed nets, treatments, indoor residual spraying and seasonal chemoprevention. GSK is also developing a new vaccine targeting a different stage of the malaria parasite's life cycle to expand prevention strategies.
Bharat Biotech, based in Hyderabad's Genome Valley, holds over 145 global patents and has supplied more than 9 billion vaccine doses worldwide. Its product portfolio includes over 19 vaccines and four biotherapeutics.
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