Serum Institute of India (SII) has shipped the first doses of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to African countries, where there is a large outbreak of the disease.

The distribution of malaria vaccine to African countries will prove to be an important step in the global fight against malaria.

The initial shipment will be sent to the Central African Republic (CAR) in the coming days. This will then be sent to other African countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of the total 163,800 doses specifically allocated for the CAR region, 43,200 doses will be sent by the Serum Institute of India.

SII, Novavax and the University of Oxford, the partners in developing this new vaccine, celebrated this achievement by organizing an event.

The event highlighted successful global partnerships between three countries – India, the US and the UK. So far, Serum Institute of India has manufactured 25 million doses with a developing capacity of 100 million doses annually.