Key medicine to prevent malaria obtains WHO prequalification - Health

With the support of UNITAID* and Medicines for Malaria Venture Universal, the company Corporation Ltd (UCL) became the first African manufacturer to obtain World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for a key medicine to prevent malaria in pregnant women and children.

Prequalification is a service provided by the WHO to assess the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines.

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According to the latest global report on malaria, it is estimated that in 2020 there were 241 million cases of malaria in the world, of which at least 627,000 were fatal. So far almost all malaria cases and deaths have occurred in Africa. Also, pregnant women and children are among the groups most susceptible to contracting this disease.

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“In 2020 alone, Africa was home to 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of all deaths. Around 80% of all malaria deaths in the region are in children under the age of five,” said Hervé Verhoosel, spokesperson for UNITAID.

In this sense, the drug Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) is effective, tolerable and affordable to prevent malaria. However, its supply and sourcing is often hampered by an inadequate and unstable distribution chain and, until now, it has relied entirely on poor quality or imported medicines.

“The quality certification will allow the UCL company to support regional efforts to strengthen regional supply availability and combat malaria through local production,” he added.

UCL company’s SP medicine quality assurance opens a way for global partners to purchase the product more efficiently. It will also improve access and help strengthen Africa’s capacity to combat endemic diseases.

“Researchers and manufacturers of lhe countries most affected by malaria must be at the forefront of efforts to defeat the disease, so we welcome this exciting news,” said David Reddy, CEO of Medicines for Malaria Venture Universal.

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*An international initiative of the United Nations that promotes access to treatment for diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.