Oral anti-malaria drug for children launched

Novartis has announced a new oral medication to treat malaria in children.

Developed in partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Coarterm Dispersible has been specifically developed to treat uncomplicated malaria in young people.

The sweet-tasting medication will be provided for public sector use in regions where malaria is prevalent.

It is hoped that the dispersible tablets will make it easier to administer malaria treatment to children, who were previously given crushed versions of adult medication.

Dr Chris Hentschel, president and chief executive of MMV, explained: "As malaria is essentially a paediatric disease, we are hopeful that this child-friendly formulation will contribute to a reduction in child mortality in Africa, and give children back their future."

Novartis suggests that malaria has a higher mortality rate among children than any other age group, particularly in Africa where one child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.

A recent Phase III trial of the drug, published in the Lancet, found that the new drug has a 97.8 per cent cure rate.