Malaria Medicine For Infants Approved
For a long time, medicine has only been made for older children and adults. This is because babies’ livers and bodies process the medicine differently, so it could be dangerous. Now there is finally medicine for infants, called Coartem Baby.
Vas Narasimhan, chief executive of Novartis, expressed his opinion about this. “The smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve,” he said. Although there have been numerous attempts to make medicine for children under five, only Coartem Baby has been approved.
Malaria is a noncontagious disease, carried by the bite of a certain type of female mosquito, the Anopheles. It usually attacks at night. Africa accounts for around 94% of the world’s malaria cases, and 95% of malaria deaths in 2023. About one in five people on average living in Africa get malaria annually. The number ranges from 5% to 50%, depending on the area. For example, the Sub-Saharan area, including Nigeria and DRC, is affected with the most malaria, compared to Northern Africa, like Egypt and Algeria.
Africa is not the only place where malaria is found, though. Places in Asia and South America also experience this terrible disease.
Since The Novartis Foundation is a non-profit organization, the medicine will be more affordable and accessible. This is a great thing for rural places with few resources.
Novartis has been expanding facilities and hubs in the US. Over a five-year plan, the company is planning to invest 23 billion US dollars. President Trump’s tariff threat to imported drugs has encouraged multiple pharmaceutical companies to build their presence in the US. Another reason for this is their plan to focus more on RLT, requiring more research facilities. Novartis expects this expansion to create 4,000 more jobs in the US.
After millions of years since malaria appeared, an approved drug has finally been created and will soon be available for babies. Children under five account for three out of four malaria cases in Africa, according to an article on the Novartis website. Coartem Baby is planned to save many lives.
