The two malaria vaccines in use today are for very young children, require four doses and give partial protection, and the preventive drugs given in endemic regions must be taken monthly through the malaria season. A long-acting injection that protected people for months from a single shot could change that, and the first trial of one in Africa is now getting under way in Rwanda. The candidate, MMV371, was developed by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss not-for-profit. The Telegraph reported that the study was launching that week, led locally by the Rwandan research organization Rinda Ubuzima.
Researchers hope that if the injection proves effective, it could eventually be used for older children, adolescents, adults and pregnant women, who are especially vulnerable to the disease. The need is large: malaria caused 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Rwanda study is a first-stage trial focused mainly on safety and on how the body handles the drug, with protection against malaria explored as a secondary question. The trial registry listing has the full design. MMV’s goal is at least three months of protection from one injection.
Closing a Gap in Malaria Prevention
The existing tools leave room for something new. CDC says current malaria vaccines reduce uncomplicated malaria by about 40%, severe malaria by about 30% and deaths from any cause by 13%, and should be used alongside other measures such as bed nets and case management. Part of the difficulty is the parasite itself: it is genetically complex, and natural infection does not give lifelong protection and only partly protects against future illness, which has made vaccines hard to develop.
Meanwhile, parasites have developed resistance to some of the preventive drugs, and climate change is pushing malaria-carrying mosquitoes into new areas.
How MMV371 Could Help
MMV371 is a modified form of atovaquone, an approved antimalarial that travelers take daily in the pill Malarone. The compound was discovered at Scripps Research and developed by MMV. In an animal model, Scripps reports, one injection kept the drug at effective levels for 69 days, compared with 21 days for atovaquone alone. The final product is meant to pair MMV371 with a second drug, which MMV says should reduce the chance of drug-resistant parasites.
MMV describes the injection as an addition to existing tools, not a replacement. MMV’s Dr. Cristina Donini told the Telegraph that the vaccines work well in infants, and that a tool covering a broader population over a longer period would put the world in a much better position to eliminate the disease.
In MMV’s description, the injection could be especially useful where seasonal malaria chemoprevention, an oral preventive given mainly to children under 5, cannot be used because parasites are resistant to the drugs involved. MMV says the injection is intended for all age groups, with young and school-aged children, who face some of the highest risks, a particular focus, and lists affordability as a requirement. Fewer doses could also ease a practical problem: Scripps notes that strict, frequent dosing schedules are hard to follow, and missed doses give resistance an opening.
Seasonal use appears to be the model. The malaria season varies by region and usually peaks after rain. If a season lasts longer than three to four months, people would probably need two injections, the Telegraph reports, and MMV is working on a second-generation version it hopes would cover a full year. Fewer injections could bring costs down.
MMV also says the final combination could potentially clear infections in people who carry the parasite without symptoms. Those people are unlikely to seek treatment, so they can keep transmission going, which MMV says contributes over time to drug resistance.
Sources and further reading:
First ever trial of long-acting injection against malaria to launch in Africa — The Telegraph
Long-acting injectable malaria drug enters first-in-human study — Scripps Research
Quotient Sciences and Medicines for Malaria Venture announce dosing of first-ever long-acting injectable for malaria prevention to study volunteers — Quotient Sciences
MMV371 — Medicines for Malaria Venture
Safety and PK of MMV371 LAI in Healthy Adults and Adolescents in Rwanda (NCT07548021) — ClinicalTrials.gov
Single Ascending Dose Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of LAI MMV055 Alone and in Combination With MMV371 in Healthy Participants (NCT07011511) — ClinicalTrials.gov
Malaria Vaccines — CDC
This article was researched and sourced by Global Biodefense editors and reported with Claude AI assistance for drafting and editing.