Last month, colleagues from IVCC visited Malaysia to help develop partnerships to evaluate and deploy Aedes control tools in the Indo-Pacific.

Partners from Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mexico and Emory University also joined IVCC for the visits to the Vector Control Research Unit (University Sains Malaysia) in Penang and the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, bringing their own experience and expertise in evaluating and implementing novel vector control tools to combat Dengue.

The activity is part of IVCC’s IPI (Indo-Pacific Initiative), which was supported for another five years by the Australian Government through Partnerships for a Healthy Region in 2024, and aims to develop the vector control toolbox for the region.

Climate change, urbanization and human population movement is enabling the spread of the Aedes-borne Dengue virus. Current vector control practices are increasingly compromised by insecticide resistance, while emerging strategies like Wolbachia show promise but face logistical and funding challenges. In this context, IVCC believes that spatial emanators, along with traditional methods using novel chemistry, have an important role to play.

Spatial emanators show great promise as an additional Aedes control tool. Rapidly deployable and installed by the homeowner when there is risk of outbreak, they are relatively inexpensive and have been demonstrated to protect indoor spaces to kill, disarm and repel mosquito vectors.

IVCC hopes to establish a collaboration that leverages the expertise of Malaysian institutions, integrates global knowledge, and provides a platform for testing novel tools against dengue—benefiting the entire region and beyond.

IVCC is delighted to announce a new funding award of $4.44 million from the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (SDC) to support its mission of combating vector-borne diseases and tackling the growing threat of insecticide resistance. This four-year grant (2024 –2028) will provide core funding to strengthen IVCC’s product development portfolio and operational capacity.

“Core funding is critical to IVCC’s ability to accelerate the development of innovative tools that save lives in malaria-endemic regions,” says IVCC CEO, Justin McBeath. “By supporting the full spectrum of our work—from research and development to market access—this investment enables IVCC to address some of the most urgent challenges in vector control.”

With SDC’s partnership, IVCC continues to advance next-generation insecticides, enhancing the availability of life-saving tools and fostering collaborations that strengthen local capacity and infrastructure. Efforts to prevent, control, and eliminate malaria are vital to protecting global health and safeguarding progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By reducing the disease burden and mitigating the risks malaria poses to health and development, IVCC and SDC contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.

We are grateful for SDC’s continued trust and partnership, which reflects a shared commitment to improving global health and achieving sustainable progress in the fight against malaria.

Discover more about how this funding will support IVCC’s initiatives here.

For further information, please contact:

Chris Larkin, Director of Communications and Operations, IVCC
Email: Christopher.larkin@ivcc.com
Tel: 07712 402498

IVCC will participate at the International Conference on Vector-Borne Diseases (ICVB2025) jointly hosted by the Society for Vector Ecology (SOVE) Indian Region and the Academy of Public Health Entomology (APHE), India. The conference takes place at the Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences in Chennai (SIMATS), India from the 21st to 24th January 2025.

IVCC CEO, Justin McBeath, will be giving a keynote address on the topic of ‘Perspectives on insecticide innovation for malaria vector control’. It takes place on Tuesday 21st January at 15:30*.

During the same session, Dr Vasantha Paul John, IVCC’s Registration Consultant, will give an invited talk on ‘Regulatory agility – The need for quick access of vector control tools’.

Other members of the IVCC team will also be in attendance and look forward to contributing insights and progress on expanding the vector control toolbox and the importance of combining tools to achieve malaria elimination.

Please visit the ICVB2025 event website for more information and the full programme.

*Times given in Indian Standard Time.

Zero malaria deaths are possible—but only if we harness the full power of innovation, partnership, and evidence-based action.

IVCC CEO Justin McBeath, and IVCC Trustee Keziah Malm, in her role as Program Manager for Ghana’s National Malaria Elimination Program, join Medicines for Malaria Venture and PATH‘s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access in this compelling opinion piece on achieving zero malaria deaths.

New insecticides are critical for combating resistance in mosquito populations and ensuring the continued effectiveness of widely used interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying. Vaccines RTS,S and R21 represent a breakthrough in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality, offering protection for children in areas with high and moderate transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest form of the malaria parasite. Preventive interventions, such as seasonal malaria chemoprevention and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy, among others, protect the two populations most at risk: children and pregnant women.

While each of these tools has significant benefits on its own, their combined use creates a multilayered defense against malaria that is far more powerful than any single intervention. All three are needed to prevent malaria and reduce deaths in different populations and contexts.

Read their insights on how collaboration can transform global health, published in Devex, by following this link: https://ow.ly/KkZ350UBHzE

IVCC congratulates BASF on the news of the prequalification of Sylando® 240 SC by the World Health Organization (WHO).  This is a welcome new mode of action in the indoor residual spraying (IRS) toolbox. Sylando® 240 SC represents a significant breakthrough, providing a new tool to allow programme managers to rotate between chemistries and be better equipped to manage resistance.

Similar to BASF’s Interceptor® G2 dual insecticide treated nets (ITNs), Sylando® 240 SC formulation contains chlorfenapyr; a potent insecticide for combating mosquitoes for public health.

IVCC supported BASF by providing scientific advice, laboratory support, and supporting rigorous field trials to prove Sylando® 240 SC’s efficacy.

Justin McBeath, Chief Executive Officer at IVCC, said: “Mosquito resistance to current insecticides has been one of the principal reasons for the recent stalling in the gains made since the turn of the century, so we desperately need effective chemistry with modes of action new to public health to combat these resistant mosquitoes, and enable rotation with other products. News that Sylando® 240 SC has recently obtained a WHO PQ listing is therefore very welcome and will prove to be a very valuable part of the vector control toolbox.”

The new BASF Public Health product will be available to protect people from vector-borne diseases such as malaria.

For further information on the WHO Prequalification of Sylando® 240 SC visit: https://extranet.who.int/prequal/vector-control-products/sylando-240-sc