Frequently Asked Questions
Malaria Vaccines
What's the difference between drugs and vaccines?
Generally speaking, a vaccine is a product designed to
stimulate the body to develop immune responses that protect against a
disease. For example, Hib vaccine prevents a very serious type of meningitis
by teaching the body to recognize and attack Hib bacteria before the symptoms
of the disease appear. A drug, on the other hand, is a product
designed to act on a disease or disease agent in the body. A person who
gets bacterial meningitis can be treated with antibiotics-drugs that act
on the bacteria to keep the disease from progressing.
How can I purchase a vaccine from MVI?
Currently there is no licensed vaccine against malaria, but we
are working toward that goal. MVI is specifically working to ensure the
development and availability of malaria vaccines for children in developing
countries where malaria is a major health problem.
Why isn't there a malaria vaccine?
A key reason is that the world has not committed enough human
and financial resources to make one. Sufficient resources, effectively
applied, are needed to overcome technical and scientific barriers to malaria
vaccine development. New resources have led to considerable progress in
just the past four years, and resources even close to the level needed
would further accelerate progress. Estimates on how much is needed vary,
but, by way of example, pharmaceutical companies spend up to half a billion
dollars or more to bring a single successful vaccine through licensure.
(See http://www.malariavaccine.org/mal-vac2-challenge.htm)
How long to a vaccine?
Developing a vaccine against malaria is a huge challenge. Many
factors determine whether a vaccine will be safe, effective, and affordable
for the people who need it most. If everything goes well with the most
advanced candidate, a vaccine could be licensed within ten years. This
is much sooner than would have been likely without the renewed global
interest and support for malaria vaccines witnessed over the past few
years.
Who else is working to develop a vaccine?
Many groups around the world are working to develop malaria vaccines.
A list of candidate vaccines in clinical trials and their developers can
be found at http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/documents/en/malaria_table.pdf
Will malaria develop resistance to vaccines?
It is theoretically possible for any microbe to develop resistance against
vaccines. The global experience with vaccines licensed for childhood diseases
indicates this is not a huge problem. The malaria vaccines that are being
developed are using various strategies to minimize the possibility of
resistance developing.
How will genome maps affect vaccine development?
Mapping the malaria genome has identified several thousand potential
targets for a malaria vaccine. It will take several years (and perhaps
decades) of research to assess these targets and turn promising ones into
vaccines that can be evaluated. In the short term, genome maps will not
have a great impact on malaria vaccine development.
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Vaccine Clinical Trials
Why have there been so many trials?
Right now, the only way to know if a promising malaria vaccine
candidate actually works is to evaluate it in people. As is the case with
any pharmaceutical product, there actually needs to be many, many more
trials before we get to a licensed vaccine.
Why have malaria vaccine trials been conducted in the US and
Europe?
It is common practice for vaccine developers to first evaluate
their products for safety and immunogenicity in healthy adult volunteers
in the country of manufacture and other industrialized countries before
evaluating them in developing countries.
How can I become a volunteer in a malaria vaccine clinical trial?
MVI does not recruit volunteers for clinical trials. The partner
organization that conducts the clinical trials selects all study participants.
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MVI Partnerships
What has led to MVI's success thus far?
MVI has been successful because we have partnered globally with
the world's best scientists and vaccinologists, supporting the best available
malaria vaccine candidates. In addition to being collaboratively managed,
each partnership is tailored to the partners and product to maximize efficiency
and likelihood of success.
How does MVI identify projects?
When MVI decides whether to pursue a vaccine development project,
we weigh a number of issues such as scientific promise of the proposed
vaccine, "fieldability" of resultant product to our target population,
financial and scientific strengths of partners, intellectual property
positions, and fit within our strategic framework.
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Advance Purchase Commitments
What are APCs?
An Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) provides an economic impetus
for investments in research and development (R&D) that would otherwise
be considered too costly, too risky, or too difficult to recoup. APCs
consist of an undertaking by one or more donors to financially reward
successful product development—thereby creating, in effect, a predictable
market for resulting products. In it, the donor agrees in advance to provide
funds to purchase a product that meets pre-established specifications.
How would they work?
Essentially, an APC or advance market commitment (AMC) would
take the place of the industrialized world market since none would exist
for vaccines against diseases like malaria. The Center for Global Development
(CGD) has proposed a structure for how AMCs (slightly different from APCs,
which could guarantee purchase of a defined quantity of a qualifying product)
would work for malaria vaccines. The main characteristics of such a commitment
are as follows:
• The sponsors would make a legally binding promise to pay up to
a certain amount of the cost of up to a certain number of treatments (i.e.,
complete dosage required to achieve immunity) purchased, purchased at
a guaranteed price.
• Recipient countries would pay a certain amount per treatment.
This amount could be subsidized by donor funding.
• In return, firms would guarantee to provide further treatments
(after the initial set number of treatments) at a sustainable base price,
reflecting the cost of production.
• An independent adjudication committee (IAC) would be established
to determine whether the technical specification of the vaccine had been
met.
• If a firm developed a subsequent, superior product (as agreed
by the IAC), that product would also be eligible for the price guarantee
up to a pre-established maximum (the price guarantee would apply to the
first set number of treatments bought, shared among the eligible products
according to demand).
What is MVI’s position on APCs?
MVI supports increased resources to combat malaria through short-, medium-,
and long-term interventions, and we fully support the concept of APCs.
Perceived lack of market has been one of the key reasons for limited industry
engagement in malaria vaccine development, so we hope assurances that
eventual vaccines will be purchased at a reasonable price and in sufficient
quantity will cause them to apply more resources and know-how to badly
needed, lifesaving malaria vaccines.
With all the money needed to fight malaria with existing tools,
why should governments spend money now on APCs?
The wonderful thing about APCs is that government donors can
make the commitment now without any impact on their current budgets or
spending. No funds are distributed until and unless a qualifying vaccine
is licensed.
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Advocacy and Fundraising
How can I become involved with the fight against malaria?
There are several ways to participate in the fight against malaria.
The first is to learn more about it. Read the material that is published
on our Web site and related sites. Secondly, write your legislative representative
(in Congress, Parliament, etc.) and inform him/her that malaria is one
of the world's leading causes of death and disease and that most of the
more than one million people it kills every year are children and pregnant
women. Demand that they support efforts to control malaria. Thirdly, you
can donate to programs such as MVI to assist in finding and implementing
effective ways to prevent or treat the disease.
How can I donate to MVI?
You can make a donation to MVI through PATH, MVI's parent organization.
Please contact Jan Jacobs at jajacobs@path.org
and copy info@malariavaccine.org.
Please be sure to specify that the funds be distributed to MVI.
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MVI Publications
How can I request reprints of MVI articles and publications?
Submit your reprint request to info@malariavaccine.org and allow 10-15
business days for shipping.
Does MVI publish an annual report? If so, can I request a copy?
Currently, MVI does not publish an annual report. PATH, MVI's
parent organization, publishes an annual report, which you can request
by writing to info@path.org or by
downloading the file from the PATH web site at http://www.path.org/publications/pub.php?id=1199.
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Scholarships/Sponsorships
Are there scholarship opportunities available through MVI?
Unfortunately, MVI does not provide scholarships.
Does MVI sponsor students, journalists, or other professionals
to attend conferences or workshops?
Unfortunately, MVI does not sponsor individuals to attend conferences
or seminars.
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Scheduling Appointments
Can I schedule an interview with MVI's Director, Scientific Director,
or other team members?
Please submit your request to info@malariavaccine.org, and the appropriate
individual will address your questions.
How can I contact MVI's Director?
You may send a message and your contact information to info@malariavaccine.org. Please indicate
in the message your reason for wanting to contact her.
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MVI and PATH
What is PATH?
PATH is an international, nonprofit organization that creates
sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide
to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse
public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate health
technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and
act. PATH’s work improves global health and well-being. For more
information visit PATH's Web site at www.path.org.
What is MVI's relationship to PATH?
PATH is a nonprofit organization, and MVI is a program within
that organization.
What job opportunities are available at MVI?
MVI is a great place to work! If you are interested in career
opportunities with MVI, visit www.path.org/about/employment.php
and click on the "job opportunities section." You will find a complete
listing of all opportunities available at MVI both in Seattle and Bethesda.
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Miscellaneous
Can MVI assist me with a school-related project?
Unfortunately, MVI is not staffed to directly assist with school-related
projects. However, much of the information that you will probably need
for your research project can be found on our Web site, www.malariavaccine.org.
How do I announce a conference, symposium, briefing, or other
event to MVI?
Submit your announcement to info@malariavaccine.org. MVI will place
all relevant activities on its internal calendar.
How do I prepare for a trip to a malaria-endemic country?
You should seek advice from a travel medicine clinic or tropical
disease specialist. There are several Web sites with information on preparing
for travel to a malaria-endemic country. You might start by visiting the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site (www.cdc.gov)
and checking their "Travelers' Health" section.
