First infant malaria treatment approved, Uganda among pioneers

The first malaria treatment for newborns and young infants has received approval from Swiss health regulators, with Uganda among the eight African countries poised to roll out the drug, pharmaceutical giant Novartis said Tuesday.

Malaria is a major killer in Africa, with the continent accounting for 95 percent of the 597,000 deaths from the disease worldwide in 2023, according to the World Health Organisation.

Of those deaths, about 76 percent -- more than 432,000 -- were children under five, according to the WHO.

The infant version of Novartis's Coartem treatment, also known as Riamet, was developed in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Geneva-based organisation specialising in research and development of medicines against the disease.

"Until now, there has been no approved malaria treatment for infants weighing less than 4.5 kilograms (nine pounds 15 ounces)," Novartis said in a statement.

The approval from Switzerland's health authority is for a dose designed for babies weighing two to five kilograms.

Eight of the countries hit hardest by malaria -- Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda -- participated in the Swiss approval process.

The countries are now expected to approve the treatment quickly themselves, under a programme to facilitate access to medicines for low- and middle-income countries, Novartis said.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company said it would introduce the treatment "on a largely not-for-profit basis" to increase access in places where the mosquito-borne disease is endemic.

Funding to fight the disease is under threat after US President Donald Trump's moves to cut foreign aid, according to public health experts.

The US government previously provided around 40 percent of annual funding globally for control and research into malaria.

An estimated 263 million people worldwide had malaria in 2023, according to the WHO.

Malaria cases in Uganda, intervention

Malaria remains a leading cause of death in Uganda, particularly among children under five.

WHO reports indicate that Uganda experiences a high burden of malaria, with an estimated 12.6 million cases and 15,945 deaths in 2023.

Children under five and pregnant women are disproportionately affected.

Economically, Malaria has a substantial economic impact, with an estimated annual loss of over $500 million in Uganda.

As part of the Malaria elimination program, Uganda in April 2025 rolled out the RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine, with the goal of reducing malaria cases and deaths. 

The vaccines available at all health facilities target all children aged 6 to 18 months, protecting them from the complications of Malaria and death.

Medics recommend that the vaccine should be used together with other Malaria prevention measures such as:" sleeping under a mosquito net every night and seeking treatment for every fever within 24 hours.