The World Health Organization has approved a landmark vaccine against malaria for widespread rollout in Africa.

The vaccine, developed thanks to 30 years of research by EARA member GSK, including in mice and non-human primates, is the first to be approved for protection against the disease.

Trials showed that the vaccine, known as Mosquirix, was able to prevent four in 10 cases of malaria, and three in 10 of the most severe cases, when doses were given to children from five-months-old.

“Using this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year,” said WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Earlier this year, a trial of a separate anti-malaria vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, UK, was announced to have reached the international standards of effectiveness.