Recent developments in the fight against malaria have brought renewed hope, with significant advances in both treatment and vaccine research announced in the past two days. Novartis has revealed that its new anti-malaria drug, GanLum, demonstrated non-inferiority to the current gold standard treatment in a large Phase III trial involving more than 1,600 adults and children across 12 African countries. The drug, a combination of ganaplacide and a new formulation of lumefantrine, showed strong efficacy against both standard and drug-resistant strains of the malaria parasite, including those with mutations linked to partial resistance. According to Novartis, GanLum could represent the first major innovation in malaria treatment in over 25 years, since the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies. The company is now preparing to seek regulatory approval from global health authorities, following the positive trial results presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual meeting.

The KALUMA trial, reported by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, has also confirmed the safety and efficacy of this next-generation therapy, reinforcing the optimism around GanLum’s potential impact. The drug’s ability to target mature gametocytes, the parasite’s sexual stage responsible for transmission, could help reduce the spread of malaria in endemic regions. Experts, including Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé from the University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, have highlighted the urgent need for new treatments as drug resistance continues to threaten malaria control efforts in Africa.

In parallel, progress in malaria vaccine development has been equally promising. The RH5.1/Matrix-M vaccine, which targets the blood stage of the malaria parasite, has shown potential as the first blood-stage vaccine to reach advanced clinical testing. A Phase IIb trial conducted in Burkina Faso and the UK found that the vaccine was 55% effective against clinical malaria when given with a delayed third dose, and 80% effective against high parasite levels. This could provide a crucial second line of defense, complementing existing pre-erythrocytic vaccines such as GSK’s Mosquirix and Serum Institute of India’s R21/Matrix-M, both of which have received World Health Organization recommendations in recent years.

Meanwhile, BioNTech’s mRNA malaria vaccine candidate, BNT165e, is advancing through clinical testing after a temporary hold by the US Food and Drug Administration was lifted earlier this year. The Phase I/IIa trial is expected to conclude in March 2026, with results eagerly awaited by the global health community.

On the treatment front, a new single-dose regimen has also shown comparable effectiveness to the standard multi-dose course, according to a real-world study. The trial found that 93% of patients receiving the single-dose treatment were free of parasites after 28 days, compared to 90% in the three-day regimen group, with no serious adverse effects reported. This could significantly improve treatment adherence, especially in regions where completing a multi-day course is challenging.

These recent breakthroughs underscore the momentum in malaria research, offering new tools to combat a disease that continues to affect millions worldwide. With both innovative therapies and next-generation vaccines on the horizon, the global effort to control and ultimately eliminate malaria is entering a new and hopeful chapter.

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI