New six-pill malaria dose approved by TFDA
What you need to know:
Experts said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that the new dosage would help in fighting malaria drug resistance in Tanzania because patients prefer taking fewer pills instead of the long duration doses.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) has approved the new dosage for anti-malarial drug, coartem (Artemether/Lumefantrine), or popularly known as ‘Alu’ which now comprises only six instead of 24 tables.
Experts said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that the new dosage would help in fighting malaria drug resistance in Tanzania because patients prefer taking fewer pills instead of the long duration doses.
The high strength drug (with dose strength of 80/480milligrammes) has been found to be more user-friendly compared to the one that is currently in the market, which has drug strength of 20/120 milligrammes.
“The launching of this drug is a remarkable milestone in contributing to treating many patients and help in the reduction of disease burden. The fewer tablets offer a convenient solution for busy lives,” said Dr Nathan Mulure of Novartis’ Malaria Initiative.
Dr Abdunoor Mulokozi, a research scientist from Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) said that reducing the pill burden for the anti-malarial drug, has been associated with better adherence to treatment in many acute and chronic diseases.
A study published last year in The Malaria Journal, revealed that there was poor adherence to Artemisinin drugs in some Tanzanian communities.
Titled: Adherence to artemether-lumefantrine drug combination: A rural community experience, six years after change of malaria treatment policy in Tanzania, the study recommended further research on the threat of drug resistance in the country.
“The overall adherence, six years after the change of malaria treatment policy was low,” read the study, suggesting, “It is, therefore, important to continuously monitor the level of adherence to treatment…and institute corrective measures on time.”
The failure of patients to complete a dose allows malaria parasites to continue surviving in the blood stream.
Regulatory authorities in the country insist that there is a great demand for more health education on the rational use of medicines, including anti-malarial drugs all over the country in order to help combat drug resistance.
The Registrar of Pharmacy Council in Tanzania, Dr Elizabeth Shekalaghe, appealed for collaborative efforts amongst all stake holders to ensure that medicines are used correctly.
The manufacturers of Coartem, Swiss drug giant Novartis AG (NVS), launched the drug here in the country on Friday and announced that it would now be available for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in adults and older children who weigh 35kg and above.
The Word Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the drug about four months ago, making it the first and only stronger combination containing the curative substance-Artemisinin.
It is now available for donor-funded and public sector procurement, drug maker Novartis said. However, it would take a ‘’few months’’ to be available in most public health facilities in Tanzania, according to Professor Prof Zul Premji an expert in malaria research from the Aga Khan University in Kenya.
Each year there are more than one million malaria-related deaths around the world. Nine out of ten malaria deaths occur in sub Saharan Africa, and the vast majority of malaria-related deaths occur in children. In Africa alone, a child dies every 60 seconds from malaria.
Close to 90 percent of Tanzanians are at risk of acquiring malaria, according to the current Tanzania HIV and Malaria Indicator Survey (THMIS). While the number of cases amounts to about 20 million and nearly 60,000 deaths annually.
The unveiling of the latest drug formulation highlights the efforts of drug companies in trying to expand access to essential malaria treatments for all ages.
More than 700 million treatments, including 250 million Coartem antimalarial drugs are now in malaria-endemic countries and about 14 years ago, the Coartem became the first fixed dose of the Artemisinin-based Combination therapy to have met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria for efficacy, safety and quality.