The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) allowed the export of the first produced-in-India vaccine against malaria to the UK on Thursday, the media report said. It was developed by scientists at the University of Oxford and is manufactured by the Serum Institute. India's drug regulator has also granted permission to send two lakh doses of the vaccine.

The move comes as a result of an application filed by Prakash Kumar Singh, director, Government and Regulatory Affairs, at the Serum Institute of India (SII) to DCGI on September 27 seeking permission to export the vaccine against malaria, the media report said.

Singh is quoted saying in the application that SII has developed the vaccine against malaria under the leadership of our CEO, Dr. Adar C Poonawalla. Moreover, the company has been relentlessly working to make available made-in-India and world-class vaccines against malaria to our country and the world at large, as reported in the media.

The malaria vaccine was designed at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, in collaboration with the SII as manufacturer to develop the jab for large-scale supply, the media report revealed.

As per the results of the vaccine trial comprising 409 children in Nanoro, Burkina Faso, three initial doses followed by a booster after a year give up to 80 per cent protection against the disease, they said.

The SII, along with Oxford University, is currently conducting advanced-stage trials in African countries. Globally, only one vaccine against malaria is available right now which is manufactured by GSK.