Novartis malaria treatment Coartem® Baby receives WHO prequalification, paving way for greater access for newborns and young infants
The World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified Novartis' Coartem Baby, a malaria treatment for newborns and young infants weighing 2-5 kilograms. Novartis is making the treatment available on a largely not-for-profit basis in malaria-endemic regions.
Novartis' Coartem Baby has received WHO prequalification, enabling widespread access to the treatment for newborns and young infants with malaria. The treatment was developed in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and is the first antimalarial specifically designed for children weighing 2-5 kilograms. Until recently, there was no approved malaria treatment for infants weighing less than 4.5 kilograms. Novartis is making Coartem Baby available on a largely not-for-profit basis in malaria-endemic regions, having already introduced it in Ghana. The WHO prequalification is a key step towards public sector procurement and donor-funded purchasing. The treatment was developed as part of the PAMAfrica consortium, co-funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
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