7NEW TREATMENTS FOR SEVERE MALARIA

Unitaid’s investments accelerated the global adoption of injectable artesunate and prepared healthcare workers to quickly integrate this optimal malaria drug into its standard of care. Injectable artesunate is more effective and safer than quinine, but few have access to it.

Typically, children with severe malaria are given an intravenous quinine drip that must be changed every eight hours for up to a week. This method requires intense monitoring that strains healthcare systems and increases the risk to patients.

Meanwhile, another Unitaid project is introducing rectal artesunate, a lifesaving emergency treatment for children with severe malaria.

In 2015, malaria killed an estimated 303,000 children under the age of five.

Led by the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), the project was designed to stimulate demand for injectable artesunate as an alternative to quinine in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda. The 2013-2016 project helped new manufacturers of injectable artesunate get WHO approval, worked to prevent stock-outs, and reduced the drug price by at least 20 percent.

Unitaid funding brought about speedier development of WHO-prequalified rectal artesunate for treatment of children with severe malaria as an emergency measure before referral for curative therapy. Administering these suppositories can buy time for an infant with severe malaria to reach a health facility.

Data on severe malaria cases is limited, but experts estimate that injectable artesunate could save 66,000 lives per year.

“The introduction of injectable artesunate has helped Uganda to deal with the epidemic. Within the public sector, the efforts have resulted in a complete switch from quinine to injectable artesunate to treat severe malaria.” Dr. Agaba Byamukama Luweero Hospital, Uganda