After showing great success in babies, a vaccine for malaria could be around the corner for the countries who experience the disease worst, the Guardian reported.

Developed by GlaxoSmithKline, the vaccine was effective in half the cases among children aged five to seven months. In children aged six to 12, the vaccine was effective in a quarter of the patients.

The results of the trials for the RTS, S vaccine was published Tuesday in Durban, South Africa. The effects of the drug waned over time and lasted 18 months, but even still, the vaccine, possibly available by 2015, could do wonders in malaria-stricken countries.

Malaria kills about 660,000 people every year with the most affected being children under the age of five years.

The disease is most prevalent in Africa. Sir Andrew Witty, GSK' CEO, said the company will now apply for a regulatory license in order to use it in Africa under a European Medicines Agencies provision.

"While we have seen some decline in vaccine efficacy over time, the sheer number of children affected by malaria means that the number of cases of the disease the vaccine can help prevent is impressive," he said.

Duncan Learmouth, GSK's senior vice- president for developing countries and market access, said the company would actively pursue a license for the vaccine if malaria were as prevalent in the U.K. and U.S. as it is in Africa.

"I'm not sure it would be different if the impact of the disease was as it is in Africa," he said. "If we were looking at a disease in Europe and the US that had a similar clinical impact and burden on the health services, I actually think we would be pressing ahead for this."

Learmouth said getting a license for the vaccine would lead to competition, which he said is not close behind anyway.

"We're really not. I think the nearest vaccine is still in phase one - there is a huge long way to go. This is a very complex area," he said. "I don't expect a competitor vaccine for a very long time."