HJFMRI has been supporting the efforts of KEMRI/CDC to create a malaria vaccine and remained committed even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The malaria vaccine clinical trial project (MAL 094) is being conducted in Siaya County, Western Kenya, a recognized COVID-19 hotspot. The Mal 094 study is a Phase IIb randomized, open-label, controlled, multi-center study of the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of GSK Biologicals’ candidate malaria vaccine RTS,S/AS01E evaluating schedules with or without fractional doses, early Dose 4 and yearly doses, in children 5-17 months of age living in sub-Saharan Africa.
This vaccine study requires strict timelines for participant review and follow-up at the community level to ensure drug safety and immunogenicity. To prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from completely disrupting the study, the HJFMRI team developed innovative and efficient methods to support the clinical trial by ensuring day to day running of the study. The innovated efforts of the HJFMRI teams made resources available to the study while also ensuring that the study staff fully adhere to the MOH COVID-19 guidelines for the safety of everyone involved.