Novartis reaches 300 million free antimalarial treatments
pharmafile | December 9, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | Coartem, Novartis, antimalarial treatment, malaria, non-profit
Novartis has reached a delivery milestone of 300 million paediatric antimalarial treatments, having supplied its Coartem dispersible without profit to children in more than 30 malaria-endemic countries since 2009.
Coartem dispersible is the first artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT) specifically developed by Novartis in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to meet the needs of children suffering from malaria. It is the paediatric formulation of Novartis’ Coartem – a combination containing Riamet (artemether and lumefantrine), the standard of care for millions of malaria patients around the world.
Novartis developed the child-specific version in collaboration with MMV, to support the UNICEF/WHO call to develop child-friendly medicines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends dispersible tablets rather than liquid formulations for children and infants in as a malaria treatment.
Malaria is a preventable and treatable yet life-threatening disease, caused by parasites which are transmitted to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Infants and young children are among those most at risk of contracting malaria, and currently 70% of malaria deaths occur in children under the age of five years. While this number has fallen significantly by 71% since 2000, malaria still kills a child every two minutes, according to WHO research.
Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis, says: “This milestone underscores our long-standing commitment to the fight against malaria and to the children who are most at risk from the disease. We are proud of the part we have played in helping to reduce childhood deaths from malaria, and we continue to provide medicine at no profit to people who need it, contributing to the goal of a world free from the disease.”
While Dr David Reddy, chief executive of MMV, says: “This is a fantastic achievement and we are proud to have partnered with Novartis on the development of Coartem dispersible, helping children who are most at risk of this deadly disease.
“The WHO World Malaria Report 2015 shows that we are making significant strides in reducing child mortality from malaria, and this is largely thanks to sustained international commitment and the availability of a range of innovative tools and solutions, including quality child-friendly medicines like Coartem dispersible. MMV applauds Novartis for making this important drug widely available on a no-profit basis to children in need and achieving this significant milestone.”
Joel Levy
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