23 April 2008

Anti-Malarial Artemisinin Combination Treatment (ACT) “Coartem” average price cut 20% beginning on World Malaria Day April 25, 2008

On 23 April 2008 the company “Novartis” announced in a press release from Basel, Switzerland that beginning this Friday, the first World Malaria Day, they would provide “a 20% average reduction in the price of “Coartem” anti-malarial tablets.

“Coartem” tablets contain artemether/lumefantrine 20mg/120mg. As such this anti-malaria medication is an “artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) for malaria”. This combination therapy has been reported to be highly effective even against multidrug resistant falciparum malaria (Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001; 64: 247-256, and Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2000; 94: 545-548).

The company stated today that the reason they can cut the price is: “Novartis has invested heavily to expand production capacity at state-of-the-art facilities in China and the United States. The recent efficiency increases in producing Coartem mean that the public sector price can now be reduced by an average of 20% compared to the 2007 price. Novartis states that this new lower price will be “USD 0.37” for children’s doses [for children up to 15kg)].

This full press release appears on the World Health Organization’s “World Malaria Day” website: www.rollbackmalaria.org/worldmalariaday/pressreleases.html

Additional positive information in the fight against the devastating disease of malaria is anticipated over the next 48 hours leading up to the first “World Malaria Day” April 25, 2008.

Daniel R. Lucey, MD, MPH

EROne Institutes, Department of Emergency Medicine

Washington Hospital Center

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Georgetown University Medical Center

Washington, D.C.

Website for this posting: www.BePast.org

e-mail: DRL23@Georgetown.edu