ICMR licenses its multi-stage malaria vaccine AdFalciVax to five companies

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The ICMR has licensed its multi-stage malaria vaccine AdFalciVax to five companies -- Indian Immunologicals Limited, Techinvention Lifecare Private Limited, Panacea Biotec Limited, Biological E Limited, and Zydus Lifesciences.

This was announced at the India MedTech Expo 2025 held in the national capital recently.

The AdFalciVax, India's first indigenous multi-stage malaria recombinant vaccine developed by the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) in Bhubaneswar under the ICMR, can prevent plasmodium falciparum infection in individuals and minimise its community transmission.

Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest parasite that spreads Malaria, is tough to control and continues to devastate communities all over, the ICMR said.

The apex health research body in July had invited expression of interest (EoI) from the eligible organisations, companies and manufacturers for undertaking 'Transfer of Technology' for the commercialisation of "recombinant chimeric multi-stage malaria vaccine (AdFalciVax) against plasmodium falciparum" useful in preventing the infection in humans and minimising its community transmission.

It was based on that EoI that these five companies -- Indian Immunologicals Limited, Techinvention Lifecare Private Limited, Panacea Biotec Limited, Biological E Limited and Zydus Lifesciences -- had approached and were given licence, an official said.

The vaccine targets the parasite before it enters the bloodstream, preventing the transmission stage.

"It is affordable, scalable that remains effective for over nine months at room temperature," the official said.

The pre-clinical validation of this technology has been conducted in collaboration with ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), another constituent institutes of ICMR and National Institute of Immunology (NII), Delhi, an autonomous research institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the EoI document had said. PTI PLB RT