Mothers hold their children as they wait to be vaccinated against malaria, at the health center in Datcheka, Cameroon, on January 22, 2024. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Desire Danga Essigue
Health United KingdomNow, Even Newborns Can Get Malaria Treatment!
A new treatment called Coartem Baby was approved in July as the first malaria drug specifically designed for newborns and infants, marking a critical leap forward in protecting life at its earliest stage.
“This approval allows for safe and appropriate treatment for babies for the first time,” says Prof. Umberto D’Alessandro of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Coartem Baby is designed for infants weighing between 2 and 5 kilograms, filling a significant gap in treatment. It’s sweeter-tasting and dissolves more easily than medicines meant for older children. Regulatory authorities in Switzerland have approved it, and eight African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Mozambique, are expected to follow rapidly. The drug will launch primarily on a not-for-profit basis, helping reach regions where nearly 30 million babies are born in malaria-risk areas every year. With this tool, fewer infants are likely to suffer from incorrect dosages, and more lives could be saved if the support system — health infrastructure, trained staff, and supply chains — keeps pace with this breakthrough.
