WHO approves first malaria drug for infants

The World Health Organization has approved the first malaria drug for infants, paving the way for its widespread use worldwide, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.

Details

The WHO stated that until now, infants with malaria were treated with drugs intended for older children, "which increases the risk of dosing errors, side effects, and toxicity."

Medical experts hope that Coartem Baby, which can be used to treat infants weighing as little as 2 kg, will fill this treatment gap. The drug comes in the form of sweet cherry-flavored tablets that can be dissolved in liquids, including breast milk.

"For centuries, malaria has taken children from parents, and health, wealth, and hope from entire communities," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "But today, the situation is changing."

The Coartem Baby vaccine has received WHO prequalification, indicating its compliance with international standards of quality, safety, and efficacy, which will allow many countries with high malaria incidence, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, to procure it at the state level. 

Ghebreyesus noted that new vaccines and diagnostic tests, along with next-generation mosquito nets, are helping to turn the tide in the fight against this mosquito-borne disease.

The Coartem Baby vaccine contains two antimalarial drugs—artemether and lumefantrine.

First malaria drug for infants approved for use08.07.25, 11:43 • 1789 views

Addition

In some parts of Africa, up to 18% of children under six months of age contract malaria, but historically there has been no safe treatment for the youngest. In 2024, 610,000 people died from malaria, about three-quarters of whom were children under five in Africa.