Like Ghana, NAFDAC Approves R21 Malaria Vaccine for Nigeria

• The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has approved the R21 malaria vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India
• The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, made this disclosure on Monday, April 17, at a press briefing in Abuja
• This makes Nigeria the second country to approve the new malaria vaccine developed at the University of Oxford, after Ghana

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Monday, April 17, approved the provisional use of the R21 malaria vaccine.

The agency noted that the R21 Malaria vaccine dossier complies substantially with the best international standards, which made the Joint Review Committee conclude that the data on the R21 Malaria vaccines were robust and met the criteria for efficacy, safety, and quality, The Nation reported.

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NAFDAC approves R21 malaria vaccine

Speaking during a briefing in Abuja, the Director-General of the NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the vaccine is indicated for the prevention of clinical malaria in children from 5 months to 36 months of age, The PUNCH report noted.

Meanwhile, the country is expected to get at least 100,000 doses of the vaccine in donations soon before the market authorization starts making other arrangements with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), The Nigerian Tribune further confirmed.

Nigeria ranks 5th among African countries with highest debt exposure to China in 2023

In another development, a new report ranked Nigeria fifth on the list of African countries with the highest debt exposure to China.

It was reported that the Nigerian government borrowed about $3.27 billion from five countries between June 2015 and September 2022.

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Data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) reveals that within the period, Nigeria's borrowings from five countries increased by 206.96% from $1.58 billion in June 2015 to $4.85 billion by September 2022.

Obinna Onyekwena appointed Deputy Director at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Meanwhile, a Nigerian medical doctor, Obinna Onyekwena, has been appointed Deputy Director, Infectious Disease Advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington.

Dr Onyekwena, 44, has extensive experience supporting countries across the globe in tackling the world’s biggest infectious diseases.

Source: Legit.ng