Sample of final synthetic malaria vaccine SPf66, developed by Dr Patarroyo and collaborators as a synthetic vaccine for malaria, Bogota, Colombia, as used in the first Colombian trials on military volunteers, 1988. (Nature, March 10, 1988, vol 332)

The first anti-malaria vaccine was produced in 1987 by Dr Manuel Patarroyo (b. 1946) and colleagues in Bogotá, Columbia. This is a sample of the vaccine. The bottle of vaccine was used in the first Colombian field trials on military volunteers in 1988. The vaccine only offers protection from the deadliest strain of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum.

Clinical trials of the vaccine were disappointing as it was found to be only thirty per cent effective against malaria. Despite this SPf66 is still the most effective vaccine developed against the disease. It is shown here with an orange syringe prefilled with the vaccine (1994-447).