Kwa mara ya kwanza, dunia imepiga hatua kubwa katika mapambano dhidi ya malaria baada ya kuidhinishwa kwa tiba maalum ya malaria kwa watoto wachanga na wadogo wenye uzito wa chini ya kilo 4.5, hatua inayotarajiwa kuokoa maelfu ya maisha kila mwaka barani Afrika.
Tiba hiyo mpya, iliyotengenezwa na kampuni ya dawa ya Novartis, imeidhinishwa na mamlaka ya Uswizi na inatarajiwa kuanza kusambazwa katika nchi mbalimbali za Afrika zilizoathirika zaidi na malaria ndani ya wiki chache zijazo.
Hadi sasa, watoto wachanga wamekuwa wakitibiwa kwa kutumia dawa zilizotengenezwa kwa watoto wakubwa, hali ambayo imekuwa ikihatarisha maisha yao kwa sababu miili yao hutibu dawa kwa njia tofauti, hasa kutokana na ukomavu wa ini kuwa bado katika hatua za awali.
Kwa mujibu wa takwimu za Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO), mwaka 2023 malaria ilisababisha vifo zaidi ya 597,000, ambapo karibu asilimia 90 ya vifo hivyo vilitokea barani Afrika, na asilimia 75 ya waathirika wakiwa watoto chini ya umri wa miaka mitano
Wataalamu wa afya wameeleza kuwa dawa hiyo mpya inajaza pengo kubwa la kimatibabu ambalo limekuwepo kwa muda mrefu, na ambalo limekuwa likiwanyima watoto wadogo tiba salama na sahihi ya malaria
Dawa hiyo inatarajiwa kusaidia kuboresha utoaji wa huduma za afya, kupunguza vifo vya watoto na kuchangia katika lengo la muda mrefu la kutokomeza malaria duniani
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Novartis (NOVN.S), opens new tab said on Tuesday it had received approval in Switzerland for Coartem Baby, which it said was the first drug to treat malaria in babies and very young children
Eight African countries who participated in the assessment are now expected to issue quick approvals for the treatment, which is also known as Riamet Baby in some countries
Novartis launched Coartem to treat malaria in 1999, with a new dose strength now designed for small babies
The treatment was developed with scientific and financial support from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss non-profit group working to deliver medicines to treat, prevent and eliminate the disease that is spread by mosquitoes.
The new infant version of Coartem is dissolvable, including in breast milk, and has a sweet cherry flavour to make it easier to administer
Until now, there has been no approved malaria treatment for infants weighing less than 4.5 kilograms (9.9 pounds), leaving a treatment gap, Novartis said
Currently available malaria treatments have only been tested in children at least six months old, because the very young are usually excluded from treatment trials
Previously, infants have used formulations meant for older children, increasing the risk of overdose. Malaria vaccines are also not approved for the youngest babies
The eight countries that took part in the assessment were Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
Around 30 million babies are born in areas of malaria risk in Africa every year, with one survey across West Africa reporting infections ranging between 3.4% and 18.4% in infants younger than six months old, Novartis said
The treatment will be distributed on a largely not for profit basis, Novartis said.
"Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve," said Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan
Source: Reuters & Jambo Tv
Tiba hiyo mpya, iliyotengenezwa na kampuni ya dawa ya Novartis, imeidhinishwa na mamlaka ya Uswizi na inatarajiwa kuanza kusambazwa katika nchi mbalimbali za Afrika zilizoathirika zaidi na malaria ndani ya wiki chache zijazo.
Hadi sasa, watoto wachanga wamekuwa wakitibiwa kwa kutumia dawa zilizotengenezwa kwa watoto wakubwa, hali ambayo imekuwa ikihatarisha maisha yao kwa sababu miili yao hutibu dawa kwa njia tofauti, hasa kutokana na ukomavu wa ini kuwa bado katika hatua za awali.
Kwa mujibu wa takwimu za Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO), mwaka 2023 malaria ilisababisha vifo zaidi ya 597,000, ambapo karibu asilimia 90 ya vifo hivyo vilitokea barani Afrika, na asilimia 75 ya waathirika wakiwa watoto chini ya umri wa miaka mitano
Wataalamu wa afya wameeleza kuwa dawa hiyo mpya inajaza pengo kubwa la kimatibabu ambalo limekuwepo kwa muda mrefu, na ambalo limekuwa likiwanyima watoto wadogo tiba salama na sahihi ya malaria
Dawa hiyo inatarajiwa kusaidia kuboresha utoaji wa huduma za afya, kupunguza vifo vya watoto na kuchangia katika lengo la muda mrefu la kutokomeza malaria duniani
===
Novartis (NOVN.S), opens new tab said on Tuesday it had received approval in Switzerland for Coartem Baby, which it said was the first drug to treat malaria in babies and very young children
Eight African countries who participated in the assessment are now expected to issue quick approvals for the treatment, which is also known as Riamet Baby in some countries
Novartis launched Coartem to treat malaria in 1999, with a new dose strength now designed for small babies
The treatment was developed with scientific and financial support from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss non-profit group working to deliver medicines to treat, prevent and eliminate the disease that is spread by mosquitoes.
The new infant version of Coartem is dissolvable, including in breast milk, and has a sweet cherry flavour to make it easier to administer
Until now, there has been no approved malaria treatment for infants weighing less than 4.5 kilograms (9.9 pounds), leaving a treatment gap, Novartis said
Currently available malaria treatments have only been tested in children at least six months old, because the very young are usually excluded from treatment trials
Previously, infants have used formulations meant for older children, increasing the risk of overdose. Malaria vaccines are also not approved for the youngest babies
The eight countries that took part in the assessment were Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
Around 30 million babies are born in areas of malaria risk in Africa every year, with one survey across West Africa reporting infections ranging between 3.4% and 18.4% in infants younger than six months old, Novartis said
The treatment will be distributed on a largely not for profit basis, Novartis said.
"Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve," said Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan
Source: Reuters & Jambo Tv