Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment

This is a joint post with Edith Han.

In the past few decades, there has been significant progress in malaria control. Coverage of bednets, spraying, and other prevention commodities has increased dramatically, but ensuring access to effective and affordable treatment has remained a challenge.

Today, in 2011, we are a far cry from the empty malaria medicine pipeline of the 1990s. There are two WHO-prequalified artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) available (artemether/lumefantrine and artesunate/amodiaquine) and two more due to be launched in 2012 (Eurartesim® [dihydroartemisinin/piperaquine] from sigma-tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite and Medicines for Malaria Venture [MMV] and Pyramax® [pyronaridine/artesunate] from Shin-Poong Pharmaceuticals and MMV). Additionally, we now have a WHO-prequalified treatment for severe malaria at our disposal.