The Coartem® Baby (artemether-lumefantrine) is now the first malaria
medicine approved for newborns and young infants weighing under 4.5 kg.
Swissmedic Approval: Switzerland's regulatory body approved it through a special Global Health Products procedure, aiming to accelerate access in low-resource settings. The drug was developed by Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to tackle malaria in vulnerable populations. Eight African countries involved in the joint assessment are expected to rapidly approve the medicine next. Novartis plans to introduce Coartem Baby on a largely not-for-profit basis in malaria-endemic regions to improve affordability and access.
Please find further information here:
https://www.mmv.org/sites/default/files/content/document/MMV_Coartem%20B...
https://www.mmv.org/newsroom/news-resources-search/first-malaria-medicin...
Edem’s comment: I believe this is a massive breakthrough towards the protection of the youngest lives (especially in malaria-prone regions) from one of the world’s deadliest diseases. What are your thoughts on this? For colleagues who have worked/are working with such children, how were/are you managing them?
Best regards,
Edem
CHIFA profile:
Daniel Edem Kpewou is a the the Lead Moderator of the CHIFA forum. He is a lecturer at the School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/daniel-edem