UNICEF and Gavi Secure 40 Per Cent Price Cut for RTS,S Malaria Vaccine

A new agreement executed by UNICEF and backed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will reduce the price of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine by approximately 40 per cent, the organizations announced on 22 October 2026. The price reduction is projected to save approximately US$50 million between 2027 and 2029, potentially enabling up to one million additional children to receive the full four-dose course or supporting other childhood immunization efforts.

Enabled by an advance payment from the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), the agreement lowers the vaccine price to EUR 5.50 per dose. The reduced rate is expected to take effect by early 2027, following the transfer of production to a developing country manufacturer. Implementation remains contingent on regulatory and manufacturing milestones, including World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification of a new manufacturing facility to expand supply capacity.

Demand for malaria vaccines has outpaced initial forecasts since rollouts started in 2024, with UNICEF procuring and delivering more than 74 million doses to date. The Gavi-funded malaria vaccination programme has been incorporated into routine immunization across 25 African nations, which collectively account for more than 70 per cent of the global malaria burden. The organizations aim to vaccinate 50 million additional children against malaria by 2030.

According to the organizations, malaria causes nearly half a million deaths globally each year, killing one child every minute. In 2024, an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths were recorded worldwide, with up to 95 per cent occurring in Africa and approximately 74 per cent of fatalities among children under five years old.

When administered seasonally in areas with high transmission rates, the full four-dose RTS,S regimen reduces malaria cases by about 75 per cent. Health agencies utilize the vaccine alongside other interventions, such as insecticide-treated bed nets, vector control measures, chemoprevention, and prompt medical diagnosis and treatment.

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