The IVCC Annual Report 2022-2023 has been published.

The report showcases IVCC’s work to facilitate innovative approaches to preventing vector-borne diseases and tackle the growing threat of insecticide resistance. With activities across the globe and spanning research and development and market access, we are accelerating the process from innovation to impact.

The report is a reminder of the importance of collaborative working and the progress laid out in it is testament, too, to the commitment of our partners from industry, academia, the public sector, and advocacy. We are grateful for the support of all our funders, who make life-saving vector control possible.

Earlier in 2023 IVCC embarked upon a strategic review to assess and realign priorities to ensure that we are focusing on the unmet needs that will have the most significant impact against vector-borne disease. The annual report outlines IVCC’s strategic priorities going forward.

Another highlight is a section on climate change and the dramatic impact it is having on vector-borne disease transmission, demanding new policies, tools and approaches.

“At this pivotal time for global health, I call upon the wider global community to ensure that, as IVCC and its partnerships continue with their missions, appropriate political will and funding, facilitates and strengthens our collective efforts to eradicate malaria and the neglected tropical diseases that afflict the most vulnerable members of society.”

Sherwin Charles, Chair, Board of Trustees, IVCC.

For more information or to request a physical copy please provide your full name and postal address to Laura Roberts on laura.roberts@ivcc.com.

Download the Tech Updates highlighting vector biology and control news, publications and resources.

Given the breadth of vector control-related literature, we are unable to include all relevant work. These updates are intended to focus primarily on Anopheles biology and a subset of control topics with global relevance.

Any views expressed in the updates do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of IVCC. In many cases, we directly quote sections of published work. Mention of trade names or commercial products is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by IVCC or its funders.

The Vector Expedited Review Voucher (VERV), modelled on the already established US Priority Review Voucher (PRV) for drug development, is a proposed no cost new incentive to encourage R&D focussed agriculture companies to innovate in public health where there are significant economic barriers to product innovation. The VERV would encourage companies to invest in novel insecticide development for public health, such as malaria, by rewarding the registrant of a new public health insecticide with a voucher to receive an expedited review of a second, more profitable product outside public health. Getting to market faster is valuable and gives an innovator registrant an opportunity to generate a financial return to mitigate the development cost losses on a public health use insecticide.

The report features a Foreword by Sir Stephen O’Brien, Chair of the IVCC Board of Trustees and two cases studies of product innovation in vector control; Westham’s Attractive Targeted Sugar bait (ATSB®) and BASF’s Interceptor® G2 dual insecticide bed net. IVCC is a Product Development Partnership (PDP) based in Liverpool which works with the private sector, academics and funders to advance the development and deployment of a range of innovative vector control tools to help eradicate malaria. Read the full report here.

IVCC enthusiastically welcomes the news that the World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions.

IVCC would like to congratulate the many organisations that have worked together to reach this historical milestone. It is another example of how the Product Development Partnership (PDP) model draws together the private sector, funders, academia and many other stakeholders to deliver innovations that will save thousands of lives.

Whilst this exciting news represents a major step forward in the fight against malaria, it should be noted that the implementation of RTS,S is a complement to the deployment of effective prevention tools, such as Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) or Indoor Residual Sprays (IRS), and not a replacement.

As such it should not come at the detriment of efforts to support the continued innovation, development and deployment of effective prevention tools such as Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), Indoor Residual Sprays (IRS) and potential new product classes such as Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits (ATSB®). To defeat malaria a toolbox of interventions across drugs, vaccines and vector control will still be needed, but now we will celebrate this ground-breaking news which takes us all one step closer to eradicating malaria for good.