Novartis malaria treatment Coartem 80/480mg receives WHO prequalification

Novartis has announced that its antimalarial medicine Coartem 80/480mg has received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification.

It is the first and only high-strength artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) antimalarial treatment available for public sector procurement. The drug was first launched in the private sector in Nigeria in late 2013 and has since been introduced in more than ten African countries.

With this WHO prequalification, Coartem 80/480mg will now be available for broad-scale public sector procurement, which could make the treatment available to as many as 25 million malaria sufferers across Africa.

The 20/120mg version of Coartem was the first fixed-dose ACT prequalified by the WHO back in 2004.

Joseph Jimenez, chief executive officer of Novartis, said: "WHO prequalification of Coartem 80/480mg aligns with the longstanding work of the Novartis Malaria Initiative and confirms the company's status as a leading innovator in malaria treatment."

Last week, the company received US regulatory approval for Entresto, its new heart failure drug.