health
First malaria drug for babies is approved in ‘major public health milestone’
WHO prequalification of Coartem Baby means newborns can be safely treated rather than using medication for older children
TL;DR
- The WHO has approved Coartem Baby, the first malaria treatment for infants.
- Historically, infants had no safe treatment for malaria, leading to significant under-five mortality in Africa.
- Coartem Baby can treat infants as small as 2kg and comes in a palatable, dissolvable tablet form.
- WHO prequalification enables public-sector procurement in countries with high malaria rates.
- The drug was developed by Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
- The treatment has already been introduced in Ghana.
- Novartis plans to make the treatment available on a largely not-for-profit basis in malaria-endemic regions.