US EditionWHO Prequalifies First Malaria Treatment Designed for Youngest Vulnerable Patients
The prequalification clears a treatment for babies under 5 kg and could help countries and UN agencies expand access in malaria-endemic areas.
- On Friday, The World Health Organization announced prequalification approval for Artemether-lumefantrine, the first malaria treatment specifically designed for newborns and infants.
- Until now, infants were treated with formulations intended for older children, creating risks of dosage errors and toxicity; Artemether-lumefantrine is the first safe formulation for babies weighing less than 5 kilograms .
- Malaria remains a major global health burden, with 282 million cases reported in 2024, while children under five account for around 70% of all deaths and Malaria Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nine out of ten cases globally.
- This approval enables The WHO to procure and distribute the treatment in malaria-endemic areas, closing a medical care gap for 30 million babies born each year across Africa.
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "But today, the story is changing," noting that new vaccines, diagnostic tests, and effective medicines are helping to turn the tide against a disease that has plagued communities for centuries.
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Infectious disease: On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) announces a breakthrough in the fight against malaria. A breakthrough in the…
WHO has approved the first anti-malaria drug for infants.
The first malaria treatment specifically for newborns has been approved, reports the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). It concerns a drug against the tropical disease specifically intended for babies weighing between two and five kilograms. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes and is one of the deadliest diseases, particularly in Africa. In 2024, there were over 280 million infections and 610,000 people died from malaria, slightly more …
While the International Malaria Day is taking place on Saturday, April 25, the World Health Organization has just pre-qualified a new antimalarial drug that takes the form of dispersible tablets in milk. Combining two molecules - luméfantrine and arthemeter - it will replace treatments designed for older children previously given to babies under five kilos, with the risk of overdose and induced side effects.
WHO prequalifies first malaria treatment designed for youngest vulnerable patients
Ahead of World Malaria Day on 25 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a significant step forward in the fight against malaria with the prequalification of the first treatment developed specifically for newborns and young infants weighing between two and five kilograms.
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