Vector control products targeting outdoor malaria transmission

Vector control products targeting outdoor malaria transmission

Preferred product characteristics (PPCs) are key tools to incentivize and guide the development of urgently needed health products. This PPC was developed to indicate that WHO has identified vector control products targeting outdoor malaria transmission as an unmet public health need and to outline the preferred characteristics of such interventions. While keeping the scope of the PPC as broad as possible, it is primarily tailored to encourage new insecticidal/repellent products. Endectocides/ectocides, as well as genetically modified mosquitoes, both of which could be considered to fall into the category of interventions targeting/contributing to the reduction of outdoor malaria transmission, are already covered by a separate PPC or warrant the development of one.

Within the Global Malaria Programme, the Vector Control and Insecticide Resistance Unit is developing a series of PPCs to encourage further innovation in malaria vector control (2-5). The process starts with the drafting of a PPC designed to address unmet public health priorities. These priorities are identified through WHO’s horizon-scanning process and work to identify, monitor and mitigate threats to malaria control. A draft PPC is developed in consultation with subject matter experts in an ad hoc manner, then reviewed by the Vector Control Advisory Group, updated based on input from Vector Control Advisory Group members and posted online for public consultation. As part of routine WHO procedures all VCAG members provide conflict of interest statements (COI) that are assessed by WHO. No COIs were obtained as part of the public consultation. Feedback from the consultation is incorporated where feasible into a near final draft, which is again reviewed by the Vector Control Advisory Group before being finalized. Given the ongoing and anticipated developments in malaria vector control, PPC documents are dynamic and will be updated as new information indicates the need to make changes to the parameters and characteristics and/or to the identified public health need itself.