Coartem® – Saving precious lives
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: malaria-related deaths fell by 97%
The first major use of Coartem® against a malaria epidemic was in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. During 1995-2000, the area experienced a marked increase in P. falciparum malaria, fuelled by a rise in resistance to conventional treatment with pyrethroid and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. Following rapid regulatory approval of Coartem®, the drug was launched as first-line antimalarial therapy in KwaZulu-Natal in January 2001. The introduction of Coartem®, together with a bold programme of insecticidal spraying, had a dramatic effect. By 2003, the number of malaria-related outpatient cases and hospital admissions had each fallen by 99%, and malaria-related deaths had decreased by 97%.8
Zambia: first use of Coartem® first-line in Africa
In 2002, Zambia became the first African country to adopt Coartem® as first-line therapy in national malaria treatment guidelines.65 As failure rates with the anti-malarial treatment chloroquine reached 40%,66,67 the Zambian Ministry of Health applied successfully to the Geneva-based Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a grant to procure Coartem®. The Zambian National Malaria Control Programme distributing Coartem® and bed nets, as well as indoor residual spraying (IRS) activities, was scaled up during 2003-20079 . Malaria morbidity and mortality were dramatically reduced - by 2008, the in-patient malaria case and death rates had declined by 61% and 66% respectively compared to the reference period (2001-2002)9.
