Medicines for malaria venture
One hundred million treatments of Coartem Dispersible (artemether-lumefantrine), an antimalarial developed especially for children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria, have been delivered by Novartis to 39 malaria-endemic countries, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has announced.
This antimalarial is the product of the partnership between MMV and Novartis. It is the first WHO prequalified child-friendly artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT) and addresses an unmet need for paediatric medicines. Young children in Africa are disproportionately affected by malaria, with 86% of malaria deaths occurring in children under the age of five years.
Ahead of the international community’s call for better child-friendly medicines, MMV and Novartis signed an agreement in 2003 to develop the first paediatric ACT. The child-friendly formulation was launched in 2009.
Focused measures have been taken to facilitate the uptake of this medicine, including registration in 39 malaria-endemic countries, a without-profit pricing model and special packaging designed to improve compliance. These measures have not only led to increased demand but also to an accelerated uptake, underlining the advantage of the paediatric formulation. By reaching this one hundred million treatments milestone, the Novartis Malaria Initiative and MMV have proven that drug development partnerships can truly advance the fight against malaria.
