Pfizer commits $15M to malaria treatment

Global number one drugmaker , Pfizer, has announced a $15.0 million commitment to address critical treatment gaps for malaria in the African nations of Ghana, Kenya and Senegal. The firm describes the move as a "collaborative effort" with the Clinton Global Initiative and will involve partnerships with governments, international organizations (such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization and the US President's Malaria Initiative) and non-governmental organizations.

Joseph Feczko, Pfizer's chief medical officer, said: "the malaria pandemic in Africa, responsible for 10% of the continent's overall disease burden, is a heartbreaking and frustrating challenge." He added that, "unless patient education and the capacity for care is rapidly improved, new antimalarials will achieve only incremental health impact."

Pfizer's five-year malaria initiative involves grants and the firm's Global Health Fellow expertise to support programs that educate people, especially in the non-traditional informal health sector where less than optimal diagnosis and treatment is generally offered.