Coartem receives FDA approval becoming first artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) for malaria in the US

14-Apr-2009 - USA

Coartem® (artemether 20 mg/lumefantrine 120 mg), an artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) for malaria worldwide, has been approved by the US food and Drug Administration (FDA). Coartem is a fixed-dose combination of two novel antimalarials. It is a highly-effective three-day malaria treatment with cure rates of over 96% even in areas of multi-drug resistance, according to Novartis.

"Around the world, Coartem has eliminated suffering for millions and saved lives for hundreds of thousands of malaria patients," said Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO of Novartis. "With a growing number of malaria cases in the US due to rising travel, it is important to make ACT treatment such as Coartem, the most effective therapy for malaria, available to American patients as well."

In the US, Coartem will be made available through pharmacies and hospitals.

Coartem is indicated for the treatment of acute uncomplicated infections due to plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous form of malaria.

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