Novartis launches new antimalarial in Europe

Novartis has introduced a new fixed-dose combination product in Europefor the treatment of uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Riamet (artemether plus lumefantrine) has been available in Switzerland for over a year as a standby emergency treatment for people who have self-diagnosed the probable occurrence of malaria.

The combination of artemether and lumefantrine is designed to overcome the tendency of artemether monotherapy to be associated with secondary malaria episodes following failed or incomplete parasite clearance. The product provides over 95% cure rates, even in cases of multidrug-resistant malaria, and is an important advance given the emerging resistance to many of the drugs used in routine chemoprophylaxis for malaria.

Novartis has also signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to make the drug available (as Coartem) at cost price in regions where malaria is endemic (see page 15).