The World Health Organisation (World Health Organization) said on Friday that it has granted prequalification approval to a malaria treatment for newborns and infants for the first time.
The medicine, artemether-lumefantrine, is the first antimalarial formulation specifically developed for the youngest patients affected by the mosquito-borne disease.
According to the WHO, the prequalification status confirms that the treatment meets international standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
Until now, infants have been treated with formulations designed for older children, increasing the risk of dosage errors, side effects, and toxicity.
“For centuries, malaria has stolen children from their parents, and health, wealth and hope from communities,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“But today, the story is changing. New vaccines, diagnostic tests, next-generation mosquito nets and effective medicines, including those adapted for the youngest, are helping to turn the tide.
“Ending malaria in our lifetime is no longer a dream — it is a real possibility, but only with sustained political and financial commitment. Now we can. Now we must.”
The WHO estimates that in 2024 there were about 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths across 80 countries. Africa bears the heaviest burden, accounting for about 95 percent of cases and deaths, with children under five making up roughly three-quarters of fatalities.
The UN health agency warned that progress against malaria is being slowed by drug and insecticide resistance, diagnostic challenges, and declining international funding.
It said the new prequalification would allow easier public-sector procurement and help address a long-standing treatment gap affecting around 30 million babies born annually in malaria-endemic regions, particularly in Africa.
The WHO also noted that about 70 percent of countries globally still lack sufficiently robust regulatory systems to effectively oversee medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and medical devices.
Its prequalification programme ensures that health products procured internationally meet strict global standards for quality, safety, efficacy, and performance.
AFP
