A new malaria drug for babies has been approved, which is a big step toward ending child deaths in Africa
The first malaria drug for newborns has been cleared, giving Africa’s most vulnerable babies under 4.5 kg a way to get treatment that won’t kill them.
The first malaria treatment made just for babies and newborns has been approved. This is a huge step forward for world health, and the treatment should start to be used in many African countries in the next few weeks.
The new drug, Coartem Baby (also called Riamet Baby in some countries), is meant to treat malaria in children who weigh less than 4.5 kg (about 10 pounds). This is a group that hasn’t had access to approved treatments before.
Up until now, babies with malaria had to take drugs that were made for bigger kids, which came with a lot of safety risks, like accidentally taking too much.
Experts say this left the youngest and most fragile people in a dangerous “treatment gap.”
The new treatment was created by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and the non-profit Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). It has been approved by Swiss officials and will be mostly given away for free.
A report from the World Health Organization says that malaria killed about 597,000 people in 2023. Almost all of them happened in Africa, and most of the people who died were children younger than five.
Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said, “This is a big moment.” “We are proud to have worked with our partners to create the first malaria treatment for newborns and young babies that has been shown to work in clinical trials. This means that even the tiniest and most vulnerable babies can finally get the care they need.”
Eight African countries helped test and evaluate Coartem Baby, and they will likely be some of the first to get the medicine. MMV helped make the drug. The British, Swiss, and Dutch governments, as well as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, are among MMV’s supporters.
Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, said that the approval is a necessary step toward lowering the number of deaths caused by malaria. “Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, especially among children,” he said. With the approval of Coartem Baby, a better dose can be given to a group of people who would not normally be treated.
Dr. Marvelle Brown, an associate professor of public health at the University of Hertfordshire, said that the new drug was a “major breakthrough” in lowering the death rate of children in Africa.
“Malaria has a very high death rate; over 76% of deaths are in children under five years old, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.” “Babies with sickle cell disease are even more likely to get sick because their immune systems are already weak,” she said. “Making this non-profit will help even out access to health care.”
Health officials and aid groups are looking forward to the launch of the new treatment. They hope that it will finally fill in a fatal gap in malaria care and save the lives of tens of thousands of young people every year.
