Novartis delivers “milestone” dose of malaria treatment

Novartis has delivered the 250 millionth dose of Coartem, the company’s artemisinin-based combination therapy for the treatment of malaria.

To commemorate the move, which the company described as a “milestone”, Dr Daniel Vasella, chairman and chief executive officer of Novartis, delivered the dose to the medical facility in Tanzania that required the treatment.

Additionally, he announced that Novartis has become the first healthcare enterprise to join United Against Malaria (UAM).

UAM is a consortium of different bodies, including non-governmental organisations, private corporations and celebrities, that aims to raise awareness of the dangers of malaria. Famous faces that have worked with the body include actress Ashley Judd.

Commenting on the delivery of the dose of Coartem, Dr Vasella said: “With 250 million treatments provided and an estimated 630,000 lives saved, the Novartis Malaria Initiative is the industry’s largest access-to-medicines programme in the developing world.”

However, he noted that dealing with malaria demands a “collaborative approach”, adding that the company’s decision to join UAM is a “promising” step for the future.