Novartis Supplies 300m Free Antimalaria Drugs

Novartis, a leading global manufacturer of pharmaceutical products, has reached a milestone of 300m paediatric antimalarial treatments (Coartem® Dispersible) supplied to the public sector, to treat children suffering from malaria in over 30 malaria-endemic countries.

The distribution which took place in the last six years has contributed to reducing the malaria death rate by 71 percent for children under the age of five years together with other interventions.

Never before have so many paediatric treatments been distributed in such a short timeframe to children suffering from malaria.

'This milestone underscores our long-standing commitment to the fight against malaria and to the children who are most at risk from the disease,' Joseph Jimenez, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Novartis, said.

'We are proud of the part we have played in helping to reduce childhood deaths from malaria. And we continue to provide medicine at no profit to people who need it, contributing to the goal of a world free from the disease,' he added.

'This is a fantastic achievement and we are proud to have partnered with Novartis on the development of Coartem® Dispersible, helping children who are most at risk of this deadly disease,' Dr David Reddy, CEO of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), said.

'The WHO World Malaria Report 2015 shows that we are making significant strides in reducing child mortality from malaria, and this is largely thanks to sustained international commitment and the availability of a range of innovative tools and solutions, including quality child-friendly medicines like Coartem® Dispersible,' he stated.

Infants and young children are among those most at risk of contracting malaria, with currently 70% of malaria deaths occurring in children under the age of five years.

While this number has fallen significantly by 71% since 2000, malaria still kills a child every two minutes.

Coartem® Dispersible was developed by Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), supporting the UNICEF/WHO call to develop child-friendly medicines.

The WHO guidelines for the treatment of malaria recommend dispersible tablets rather than liquid formulations for children and infants. As a sweet-tasting tablet that dissolves quickly in small amounts of water, Coartem® Dispersible was the first WHO prequalified child-friendly ACT.