Kenya, July 15 -- Kenya is one of eight African countries that helped test a new malaria treatment for newborns. The other countries involved are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Zambia.
The medicine, called Coartem Baby (artemether-lumefantrine), was recently approved by Swissmedic, the health authority in Switzerland. This is an important step in fighting malaria in babies, as it is the first medicine made just for newborns.
Coartem Baby, also named Riamet Baby, will soon be available in Kenya and other African countries where malaria is common. It comes as a dissolvable powder that can be mixed with breast milk and has a sweet cherry flavour, making it easier to give to babies.
This new medicine was created by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) together with Novartis, and it is designed to help reduce the high number of malaria cases in infants. MMV said that the eight countries involved can quickly approve the medicine for their own use.
The approval from Swissmedic came after clinical studies that determined a new dosage specific for infants who weigh under five kilograms.
Coartem Baby is made for treating malaria in newborns and young babies weighing between two and under five kilograms who are infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum or with mixed infections.
Novartis plans to provide this medicine mostly without profit, so it is affordable in regions where malaria is common.
MMV CEO Martin Fitchet stated, "Malaria is one of the world's deadliest diseases, especially for children. But with the right resources and focus, we can eliminate it."
He added that Coartem Baby "provides a tailored dose to treat a group that has been neglected and offers a valuable tool in the fight against malaria."
Right now, there are no approved malaria treatments for babies weighing less than 4.5 kilograms. Many of them have been treated with medicines intended for older children, which raises the risk of overdose and toxicity.
Every year, about 30 million babies are born in regions of Africa where malaria is a risk. Infection rates in babies under six months old range from 3.4% to 18.4%, showing that there is a huge need for this new treatment.
The new dosage was developed by Novartis with support from MMV, as part of the PAM Africa Consortium, which is funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said, "For more than thirty years, we have been committed to fighting malaria, working hard to provide scientific breakthroughs where they are needed the most."
In Kenya, malaria is a significant public health problem, with 75% of the population at risk.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria caused about 11,478 deaths in Kenya in 2023. The Ministry of Health estimates around 10,700 deaths each year, mostly in children under five, along with 3.5 million clinical cases.
"Coartem Baby is a major advancement. It is safe and effective for treating malaria in babies under five kilograms," said Dr. Simon Kariuki from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri).
Before this, adult or child formulations were split to use for infants, but this method lacked reliable safety information. Dr. Kariuki explained, "Before, we didn't know how safe or toxic the malaria drugs were.
The availability of this new medicine is a big step forward in the fight against malaria because it provides a safe option for treating children."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.