Swiss company says malaria vaccine tests 'successful'

NYON (AFP) - A Swiss biotechnology company said Wednesday that it has successfully tested a malaria vaccine which could be marketed as early as 2014, according to a statement from directors.

Mymetics, who acquired the trial vaccine from Swiss research and development company Pevion Biotech, said it had carried out clinical trials on humans in Britain and Switzerland.

Studies on Tanzanian children and teenagers in areas where malaria is prevalent are also underway, Mymetics said.

"There is a pressing need for a vaccine against malaria," he said. "Up to 500 million people a year are infected, with a mortality rate of approximately two million each year."

Malaria is a deadly parastic infection passed on from infected mosquitos to humans, and strikes mainly in tropical and sub-tropical environments.