Rwanda begins Africa's first Phase 1 trial of long-acting malaria injection
- Medicines for Malaria Venture and Rinda Ubuzima have launched a Phase 1b trial of MMV371, a long-acting malaria prevention injection, in Rwanda.
- It is the first Phase 1 trial of a malaria long-acting injectable held in Africa, following earlier UK research.
- Malaria caused over 280 million cases and 600,000 deaths in 2024, with 95 percent of deaths in Africa, according to WHO.
Rwanda has started Africa's first Phase 1 clinical trial of a long-acting injection meant to protect people from malaria. The trial is for a compound called MMV371, being developed by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Rwandan health research organisation Rinda Ubuzima.
The study is a Phase 1b trial, meaning it is an early-stage test focused mainly on safety. It will check how safe and tolerable the injection is in Rwandan adults and adolescents, look at how well it works, and study how the body absorbs and processes the compound.
The news matters well beyond Rwanda. Malaria remains one of the biggest killers on the continent, and Nigeria carries a heavy share of that burden. According to the World Health Organization, malaria caused more than 280 million cases and 600,000 deaths in 2024, and 95 percent of those deaths were in Africa.
Why a long-acting shot could help
If the injection proves safe and effective, it could join the existing malaria prevention toolbox alongside insecticide-treated nets, vaccines and preventive medicines. The appeal is convenience: earlier research in the United Kingdom found MMV371 was well tolerated in healthy adults and showed potential to protect for about three months from a single administration.
That could matter for families who find it hard to keep up with daily or weekly preventive medicines, especially in rural areas far from clinics.
Researchers say new tools are needed because malaria parasites are developing resistance to some antimalarial drugs, while changing weather patterns and weak health systems complicate the fight.
"Long-acting injectables have the potential to redefine how malaria prevention is delivered, providing sustained protection from a single administration," said Dr Martin Fitchet, chief executive of MMV.
Marie Michele Umulisa, executive director of Rinda Ubuzima, said running the study in Rwanda shows African researchers and institutions are active contributors to solutions for the communities that need them most.
What happens next
The trial will gather safety and efficacy data in Rwanda. Even if results are positive, the injection would still need to pass later-stage trials and regulatory review before it could reach patients. The partners say the study also strengthens locally led research capacity in malaria-endemic countries.
