First malaria treatment for babies approved for use

A new malaria medicine designed specifically for babies and very young children has just been approved for use, marking a major step forward in the fight against this deadly disease. Malaria is a serious illness caused by parasites that are spread to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. It is especially dangerous for young children and babies, whose bodies are not strong enough to fight off the infection. Until now, there were no malaria treatments made just for babies. Doctors had to use medicines meant for older children, which could be risky because babies process medicine differently and could get too much, leading to an overdose.

In 2023, malaria was linked to about 597,000 deaths worldwide, with almost all of them happening in Africa. Shockingly, about three-quarters of these deaths were children under five years old. Babies and very small children, especially those weighing less than 4. 5 kilograms, were at a higher risk because there was no medicine made just for them. Instead, they were given smaller doses of medicine meant for older kids, but this was not always safe. Experts have called this a 'treatment gap' because the youngest and most vulnerable children were not getting the right medicine.

Now, a new medicine called Coartem Baby has been developed by the drug company Novartis, working together with the Medicines for Malaria Venture, a group that helps create new medicines for malaria. This new medicine has been approved by Swiss health authorities and will soon be available in African countries where malaria is most common. Novartis says they will sell the medicine at a very low price, not trying to make a big profit, so that more babies can get the treatment they need. The chief executive of Novartis said this is an important moment because now even the smallest and most at-risk children can get the care they deserve. Experts from the Medicines for Malaria Venture and universities say this new medicine is a breakthrough that could save many lives. They also say that making the medicine affordable will help reduce health inequalities, giving more children a chance to survive. With this new treatment, there is hope that the number of deaths from malaria in babies and young children will go down, and that one day, malaria could be eliminated altogether.