Coartem® – Turning the tide of malaria
Treatment recommendations from WHO
Combination therapy with two antimalarial agents is now widely regarded as essential to prevent the development and spread of resistance. In its 2006 guidelines for the treatment of malaria, WHO recommends that malaria be treated with the potent antimalarial drug artemisinin as part of combination therapy.20 Almost all African countries have now adopted ACTs as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria.21
Coartem®, produced by Novartis, is a fixed-dose ACT approved by assessing drug regulatory authorities, including the FDA. Artemether-lumefantrine tablets are included on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines22 and the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children 23, an index of priority drugs that guides purchasing decisions by UN agencies and many developing countries. Artemether-lumefantrine (Novartis) is also the first fixed-dose ACT prequalified by WHO1.
About Coartem®
Coartem® is a combination of two antimalarial agents with complementary effects:
- Artemether, a derivative of artemisinin, has a parasitocidal effect and provides fast relief from malarial symptoms24
- Lumefantrine has a longer-lasting effect than artemether and kills residual parasites24
*28-day PCR-corrected cure rate in the evaluable population
