The GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s leading manufacturer of vaccines has commenced the clinical trial of a malarial vaccine known as RTSS in a number of countries, including Ghana.

540 children in Ghana aged between 5 - 17 months are taking part in the trials in Agogo, in Ashanti and Kintampo, in Brong-Ahafo. The Ghana trials were launched at Agogo. Various national and international institutions are supervising the trials. Locally, the initiative is being championed by two health departments of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital and the Kintampo Health Research Centre.

VIRTUAL ACCESS LIMITED an Accra based clinical trial consultancy is the clinical research organization (CRO) for the trial but providing the In-Country Monitor for the Agogo Site.

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals began developing the vaccine as far back as 1987, in collaboration with others. Pilot studies conducted in adults showed its protective potential against Plasmodium falciparum, the pathogen causing the most severe form of malaria. Subsequently the vaccine was developed for infants and young children in co-operation with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, a programme largely financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Evans of Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) and Prof. Tsiri Agbenyega, Dean of the School of Medical Sciences in Kumasi are the principal investigators at the Agogo site, which is one of two Ghanaian study sites.