New Malaria treatment for young babies approved

I was very pleased to read (here) that the first malaria treatment for use by young babies has just been approved and is expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks. Given the significant morality associated with malaria and the vulnerabilities of the very young, this has got to be welcomed. 

As the report identifies, although there are already malaria treatments available for use in older children, none are specifically approved for use in young babies and there is a danger of using drugs that are approved for use in older children in young babies. This is not just an issue in terms of treating malaria, but is a significant issue for many drugs, where approval for use by children and babies is simply not available. Much more needs to be done in this regard. Nevertheless, given the seriousness of malaria and that many infected children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa die from malaria, this is extremely positive.

It is also to be noted that Novartis, the pharmaceutical company that has led the development of this drug and its approval for use in young babies, is planning on supplying the drug on a largely not-for-profit basis. Often pharmaceutical companies are critisised for the costs associated with providing medical treatments. However, this shows that pharmaceutical companies also have a philanthropic side and are not solely driven by profit. 

Other diseases that are particularly prevalent in developing countries and lead to significant mortality in young children include pneumonia and diarrheal diseases. Let us hope that this success in developing an anti-malarial treatment for young babies will encourage the development of further drugs for these conditions also.  

"The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimised dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox."

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