Bharat Biotech and GSK pledge to lower malaria vaccine price under Gavi replenishment initiative
RTS,S vaccine price to be reduced to below $5 by 2028 through manufacturing scale-up and technology transfer
Bharat Biotech International (BBIL) and GSK plc have announced a joint pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as part of the continued global roll-out of the RTS,S malaria vaccine. The companies confirmed a phased reduction in the vaccine’s price to below USD 5 by 2028. The price reduction is enabled through increased production capacity, cost-effective manufacturing processes, and low-margin pricing strategies.
The announcement is aligned with the Gavi 6.0 replenishment period (2026–2030). RTS,S, developed by GSK, PATH and partners, was the first malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021. Since the recommendation, GSK has undertaken the planned technology transfer to Bharat Biotech and expanded its production capabilities. Bharat Biotech has invested over USD 200 million in building higher-output manufacturing facilities and developing the vaccine. The full transition of manufacturing from GSK to Bharat Biotech is expected to be complete by 2028.
With Gavi’s support, 12 African countries will have introduced the RTS,S vaccine into routine immunisation programmes by the end of 2025. This progress has been facilitated by the collaboration between GSK, Bharat Biotech, PATH, WHO, MedAccess, Gavi and the implementing countries.
Dr Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said, “This pledge to Gavi 6.0 is more than a pricing announcement. It’s a commitment to global equity, innovation, and collaboration. Through this historic announcement, we aim to change the course of malaria burden for millions of children and families. For us, this is more than a cooperation, it’s a promise. By joining forces with GSK, and working closely with Gavi, and the WHO, we are taking a real step toward closing the gap between vaccine supply and the urgent needs of children at risk of malaria. At Bharat Biotech, we believe technology must deliver on three essentials: safety, affordability, and accessibility. With this collaboration, we are turning this belief into real impact, with the aim of ensuring life-saving vaccines reach the communities that need them most.”
Thomas Breuer, Chief Global Health Officer at GSK, stated, “We partnered with Bharat Biotech in 2021 with a common goal: to find a sustainable solution to get ahead of malaria. Today, we announce GSK’s contribution to the long-term price ambition of the world’s first malaria vaccine, a key milestone achieved through collaboration with Bharat Biotech and partners from Gavi, PATH and the WHO. This demonstrates our commitment to changing the trajectory of infectious diseases like malaria, making a difference in the lives of children and families across Africa. The GSK team has worked hand in hand with Bharat Biotech to transfer the vaccine manufacturing technology, while simultaneously implementing crucial improvements in manufacturing efficiencies, resulting in today’s pledge to the Gavi replenishment.”
Data from the WHO’s Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) conducted in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi between 2019 and 2023, where over two million children received RTS,S, showed a 13 per cent reduction in all-cause mortality and a 22 per cent reduction in severe malaria hospitalisations among vaccine-eligible children. When administered alongside seasonal malaria chemoprevention, the WHO’s two recommended malaria vaccines have been shown to prevent about 75 per cent of malaria episodes in high transmission regions.
Malaria vaccines are used alongside other WHO-recommended tools such as seasonal chemoprevention, malaria treatments, Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and bed nets. No single intervention is considered adequate alone, but vaccines remain one of the high-impact components of malaria control. GSK has also initiated work on a new malaria vaccine targeting a different stage of the parasite’s life cycle to potentially improve protection in endemic regions.
Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said, “We are grateful to GSK and Bharat Biotech for their innovation and commitment to protecting millions of children and communities from malaria. With the support of our partners, Gavi has helped 20 countries in Africa – nations that together shoulder over 70 per cent of the global malaria burden – protect their children, communities and health systems. Our ambition is to protect at least 50 million more children across Africa by the end of 2030, and this collaboration between GSK and Bharat Biotech helps put this goal firmly within reach.”
Dr Kwaku Poku Asante, Director of the Kintampo Health Research Centre, commented, “As an epidemiologist working in malaria vaccine development and delivery, I have seen the impact malaria vaccines are already having on children in high-burden regions of Africa. As a result of the collaboration between the research community in implementing endemic countries, industry, NGOs and multilateral organisations, the world’s first malaria vaccine is helping to reduce all-cause mortality and hospitalisations of severe malaria among children. Today’s announcement of a long-term price reduction by Bharat Biotech, with GSK’s contribution, marks a pivotal moment for the malaria community. Any lower cost vaccine means children in the most affected communities in endemic countries can be protected. Sustained affordability is essential to ensuring that the progress we’ve made in malaria control is not only maintained, but accelerated.”