WHO prequalifies first-ever malaria treatment for newborns and infants, adds new diagnostic tests

Key points

• 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.
• The prequalification designation indicates that the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, and will help to expand access to quality-assured treatment for one of the most underserved patient groups.
• The newly prequalified treatment, artemether-lumefantrine, is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for the youngest malaria patients.
• Until now, infants with malaria have been treated with formulations intended for older children, which increase the risk of dosing errors, side effects and toxicity.
• WHO prequalification will enable public sector procurement, contributing to closing a long-standing treatment gap for some 30 million babies born each year in malaria-endemic areas of Africa.