The World Health Organisation has approved the first malaria treatment specifically for newborns and infants. Artemether-lumefantrine received prequalification on Friday, marking a milestone in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease. The formulation is designed for the youngest patients, addressing risks linked to using older children's dosages, which can lead to errors and toxicity. The WHO confirmed the medicine meets international standards for quality, safety and efficacy.
Until now, infants in malaria-prone regions were treated with formulations not tailored to their age group. The new approval aims to close a treatment gap affecting around 30 million babies born annually in malaria-endemic areas of Africa. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described malaria as a historical thief of children, health and hope. He said new tools, including vaccines and improved nets, are shifting the trajectory.
In 2024, malaria caused an estimated 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths across 80 countries. Africa accounted for 95 percent of cases and deaths, with children under five making up 75 percent of fatalities. The WHO cited drug resistance, insecticide resistance, diagnostic failures and reduced foreign aid as barriers to progress. Prequalification will support public procurement and access in countries with weak regulatory systems. Seventy percent of nations lack robust oversight for medical products.
Tedros celebrates new tools while admitting foreign aid cuts are crippling malaria efforts — the breakthrough means little without funding to deliver it. Millions of Nigerian infants in malaria zones may never access artemether-lumefantrine if procurement stalls. The treatment gap persists not from lack of science, but from broken supply chains and shrinking support. A medicine that meets global standards is useless if it never reaches the child who needs it.
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