ICMR Creates Breakthrough Multi-Stage Malaria Vaccine; Seeks Manufacturers for Mass Production
New Delhi, 11th August 2025: In a significant breakthrough for public health, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has developed a recombinant chimeric multi-stage malaria vaccine named ‘AdFalSvax’. This next-generation vaccine, created using genetic engineering, targets the malaria parasite at multiple stages of its life cycle, offering a potentially more effective shield against the deadly disease.
ICMR has called on interested pharmaceutical companies and vaccine manufacturers to step forward for technology transfer agreements, paving the way for large-scale production. Once produced, the vaccine could soon be available in India — a first for the country.
Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease primarily caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, is transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms, which usually appear 10–15 days after a bite, include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. Severe cases can lead to anemia, respiratory distress, brain complications, and even death.
Currently, no malaria vaccine is available in India. The country records an average of 2 million cases and 70–80 deaths annually, with Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district among the most affected regions. The introduction of a vaccine is expected to significantly curb transmission rates.
The vaccine has been developed at ICMR’s Bhubaneswar laboratory, where primary trials have already been completed. The technology transfer will provide manufacturers with detailed production protocols, ingredient lists, step-by-step manufacturing guidelines, quality control standards, and facility blueprints. Once production begins, further medical trials will follow before large-scale distribution in India and abroad.
Historically, India witnessed 75 million malaria cases and around 800,000 deaths annually in 1947, but advances in treatment have reduced this to about 2 million cases and 83 deaths by 2023.
According to Dr. Sushil Singh, Scientist at ICMR’s Division of Biomedical Research and Development, Bhubaneswar, the interested companies must submit applications for the technology transfer agreement by August 17.
