September 25, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
During a meeting at the United Nations today, Bill Gates said his foundation is awarding $168.7-million to create a malaria vaccine.
The money will support work by PATH, a large health nonprofit group in Seattle, to develop a potential anti-malaria drug with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
“I’m very hopeful that the malaria vaccine currently in advanced testing will be proven effective, but that will just be the first step,” said Mr. Gates. “Now it’s time to develop a new generation of vaccines that are even more effective, and could someday help eradicate malaria altogether.”
The grant was announced as world leaders said they plan to eradicate malaria by 2015.
In addition to the Gates grant, other private contributions to anti-malaria work announced today include $1.6-billion from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to pay for the distribution of bed nets; $2-million from the United Nations Foundation; and $28-million from Marathon Oil, in Houston, to increase malaria prevention projects in Equatorial Guinea.
