Profesa Zul Premji wa Novartis Pharmaceuticals, akizungumza na waandishi wa habari, Dar es Salaam hivi karibuni, wakati wa uzinduzi wa dawa mpya aina ya mseto (ALU 80/840), iliyoimarishwa kwa kutibu na kukinga malaria, ambayo sasa dozi yake imefanyiwa marekebisho kwa kuongezwa nguvu ambapo mgonjwa humeza kidonge kimoja, kimoja badala ya vinne, vinne.
·New high dose strength treatment designed to reduce number of tablets taken per dose.
·Coartem® 80/480 is an easy-to administer medicine that provides effective malaria treatment for both adults and children weighing 35kg or more or above 12 years of age
Dar es Salaam, 21st November 2015
NOVARTIS has announced today the launch of a new high dose strength Coartem® 80/480 (artemether/lumefantrine 80 mg/480 mg), for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in adults and older children who weigh 35kg and above.
The drug has been registered by the TFDA, Tanzania Food and Drug Administration and has already been launched in Nigeria, Kenya and Angola, Cote D’ Ivoire and many other countries. Tanzania joins an increasing number of countries in launching Coartem 80/480 in Dar es Salam. In July 2015, the World Health Organization prequalified the drug paving its way for the introduction into the public sectors and donor funded programs.
In a bid to enhance patient compliance, the full course of treatment for malaria has been reduced from 24 tablets to six tablets translating into a 75% reduction in pill burden using Coartem 80/480.
On this day, Novartis joins the people of Tanzania and the rest of Africa, in celebrating a great achievement in the fight against malaria. According to Dr. Nathan Mulure, the Novartis Head of Africa Operations, Malaria Initiative, Malaria is highly preventable and curable, yet it is still one of the most deadly diseases in developing countries. “Novartis reaffirms its strong commitment to the fight against malaria. This achievement is a truly remarkable milestone contributing to treating many patients and help in the reduction of disease burden. The fewer tablets offer a convenient solution for busy lives.
The launch of Coartem® 80/480 in Tanzania marks another milestone in the fight against Malaria, and will benefit patients with a convenient and high quality treatment for malaria,” he said. The Coartem 80/480 was first registered in Switzerland by a stringent health authority, the Swissmedic.
Others who spoke during the launch include the renowned malariologist Prof Zul Premji, who advised that malaria must be confirmed by laboratory or rapid diagnostic tests before treatment is started. Dr Abdunoor Mulokozi, Research scientist at Ifakara Health Institute explained that pill burden reduction has been associated with better adherence to treatment in many acute and chronic diseases.
Elizabeth Shekalaghe, Registrar of Pharmacy Council in Tanzania emphasized on the importance of rationale use of medicine and creating awareness to the public. She added that there should be a collaborative effort amongst all stake holders to ensure that medicines are used correctly.
Novartis pioneered the launch of a fixed-dose ACT, and ten years later, in 2009, the first dispersible ACT was tailored to meet the needs of children who are the most vulnerable to malaria. “Through a partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001, we were the first company in the healthcare industry to commit to the supply of antimalarial treatments to the public sector in endemic countries without profit”, added Dr Nathan Mulure.
Each year there are more than one million malaria-related deaths around the world. Nine out of ten malaria deaths occur in sub Saharan Africa, and the vast majority of malaria-related deaths occur in children. In Africa alone, a child dies every 60 seconds from malaria.
As part of its ongoing commitment to patients and health workers, Novartis also provides malaria case management educational programs, which include hands-on training for local healthcare workers, customized training manuals, and user-friendly packaging to ensure that Coartem and Coartem Dispersible are properly used and to improve patient compliance.
Novartis Milestones In The Fight Against Malaria
In 2001, Novartis signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Health Organization to provide at no profit, Coartem to malaria endemic countries all over the world. Since then, Coartem has grown from 100,000 treatments per year product to over 100 million treatments, a milestone that was achieved in the year 2011.
Novartis is the first company to develop a WHO prequalified child friendly medication, the Coartem Dispersible. Dispersible tablets easily break up in water, are sweet and easy to take. Two sites in Tanzania participated in the phase 3 clinical trials of Coartem Dispersible tablet. Since 2009, over 250 million dispersible tablet treatments have been delivered the vast majority to African countries. Coartem dispersible was jointly developed by Novartis and MMV, Medicines for Malaria Venture, whose mission is to “reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and facilitating delivery of new, effective and affordable antimalarial drugs”.
Together with Swiss Tropical Institute and the Novartis Foundation, research in the ALIVE project continues to progress well, benefiting many inhabitants of the East Africa region. This project has increased access to high quality medicine and registered remarkable success in the recent past.
Coartem is the only FDA approved ACT in the United States of America and the first one to be approved by the European Medical Agency, EMA. This is testimony to the fact that the drug is of high quality and meets stringent regulatory requirements. Coartem continues to show high efficacy in clinical and operational research.
About Coartem
In a unique collaboration with international organizations, Novartis has provided more than 700 million Coartem treatment courses to the public sector in Africa without profit since 2001.
Artemisinin is a compound derived from the sweet wormwood plant and has been used for Centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever. An ACT is a combination of two or more drugs (one of which is an Artemisinin derivative) that have different modes of action.
Studies have shown that using two or more drugs in combination has the potential to delay the development of resistance. ACTs in particular have been found to be highly effective in treating malaria and their potential to delay resistance in areas of intense transmission is under investigation.
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