Access news flash

Saving more lives with artesunate injection

On 11 November 2011, in a meeting convened by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), World Health Organization (WHO) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), 11 organizations from across the field of malaria came together to discuss the challenges relating to the treatment of severe malaria to agree on a way forward and ultimately save more lives.

In April 2011, based on new scientific evidence, the WHO guidelines were revised to recommend artesunate, delivered intravenously, as the first-line treatment for severe malaria in both adults and children. Since then, several African countries have revised their severe malaria treatment guidelines to reflect the WHO recommendation but to date, not all countries affected by malaria have adopted the new policy.

MMV worked with Guilin Pharmaceuticals to achieve WHO prequalification for its injectable artesunate, which was granted in November 2010. The challenge now is to save lives by ensuring this treatment reaches patients in the shortest possible time frame.

The message is clear and compelling: 100% of people with severe malaria could die if they are not treated quickly with an effective treatment. Injectable artesunate is easier to use, and will save more lives than the current treatment, parenteral quinine. But many other issues are slowing down improvements in severe malaria management.

This report, based on the outcomes of the Malaria Stakeholders’ Meeting in November 2011, summarizes the key issues relating to the adoption and implementation of injectable artesunate in malaria-affected regions and outlines a set of recommended actions that this group believes will help speed up access to this life saving medicine.

31 January 2012

Effective use of mobile devices for health systems strengthening is discussed at ASTMH

Over 140 people made an early 8am start to attend the MMV and CDC symposium at ASTMH. Co-chaired by Renia Coghlan of MMV and Cyrus Shapar of CDC, the symposium -- entitled 'Effective use of mobile devices for health systems strengthening in limited resource settings' -- considered the growing impact of mobile devices and technologies in supporting public health.

Winna Shango from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health spoke of the impact that the SMS for Life program can now have in Tanzania after rolling out to over 5.000 health facilities, thanks to the support of MMV, SDC and PSI.

Rumi Chunara of HealthMap provided examples of both opportunistic electronic data mining mapping and structured capture of population trends, to monitor disease spread during epidemic outbreaks.

Don de Savigny brought the practical examples together into a structured framework, reflecting on how health system approaches can benefit from such new technology. Taking the example of SMS for Life, he highlighted how mobile device-based information flows can touch on all six of the WHO components of health systems strengthening.

Speakers and audience called for the development of standards to harmonise data, the integration of initiatives into national health systems, and an increased emphasis on data use and transparency. For further information, please contact Renia Coghlan.

5 December 2011

Confirming before treating – CAPSS Plus helps expand integrated management of fevers in the private sector

MMV and its partners Karolinska Institute and Makarere University have launched CAPSS Plus, a new pilot in Uganda, to explore the feasibility and acceptability of introducing diagnosis alongside the sales of ACTs in the private sector. This pilot follows on from where the CAPSS pilot ended, having succeeded in assessing the significant positive impact of a radically subsidized ACT in the private sector in four districts in eastern Uganda.

The AMFm (Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria) scheme, currently in its initial implementation phase in a handful of countries, has raised expectations about increasing access to affordable ACTs via private sector drug sellers. It is of particular interest in countries where access to public sector facilities is often limited and private drug sellers play an important role in delivering treatment.

At the same time, some public health experts and the WHO are concerned that increasing access to medicines without ensuring a proper diagnosis of malaria at the same time can lead to widespread misuse of ACTs, and may translate to inadequate treatment of other causes of fevers.

CAPSS Plus not only promotes the correct diagnosis of malaria before treatment, but also trains shop-keepers on screening for respiratory infections and on treating infant diarrhoea, two other major sources of childhood illness unrelated to malaria.

The results of this study may help guide future efforts to ensure better treatment of the most common illnesses that lead patients to private drug shops in much of rural Africa.

30 September 2011

New study confirms broad-based knowledge of ACTs in Malawi

Like many countries, Malawi adapted its malaria policy in 2007 to make ACTs their first line treatment option. To optimize the correct use of this drug, and reduce the risk of parasite resistance, it was important to assess the knowledge and practices of health professionals in relation to malaria case management. This study confirmed that most healthcare professionals know about ACTs, however further training is necessary to ensure correct and effective use. The survey also finds that more support is required to improve pharmacovigilence reporting. The study, co-authored by MMV’s Renia Coghlan is available on the Malaria Journal website.

26 September 2011

3575 Tanzanian facilities using SMS For Life thanks to MMV and PSI with SDC backing

Since February 2011, MMV has sponsored the national scale up of the SMS for Life programme in Tanzania. This exciting programme, led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, uses SMS technology to monitor facility level medicines stock levels, and contribute to upstream solutions to avoid stock-outs. Nearly 80% of all facilities (3,575 of 4,500) are now trained & able to report. The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has requested that the programme be expanded to include a case management component supporting correct diagnosis and treatment of malaria. Better case management will not only support more rational use of medicines, but also help clinical staff to improve diagnosis and appropriate treatment of childhood illnesses. The NMCP is actively exploring options, with MMV's advice, to ensure the long term sustainability of the programme.

1 August 2011

RBM Southern Africa Regional Network welcomes information on Artesunate Injection

Renia Coghlan and Pierre Hugo of the MMV Access team supported Mozambican researchers to present results of the AQUAMAT
to 14 national malaria managers 6 July 2011. Meeting participants,
which included National Malaria Control Programme Managers,
representatives of the research, private sector and military
partnerships, expressed great interest in the significant impact of artesunate for injection on health outcomes for treating severe malaria in
the Southern Africa region. More details of this exciting new product
are available in the Lancet: Volume 376, p. 1647, 13 Nov 2010.

6 July 2011

MMV supports Friends of ALMA meeting on local manufacturing in Africa

On 30 and 31 May 2011, the Friends of ALMA Manufacturers’ Forum brought together key stakeholders interested in the future of the pharmaceutical industry in Africa and the economics of malaria control technologies. Participants considered how to address current bottlenecks to the supply of these technologies by Africa-based manufacturers. The Forum concluded by agreeing a set of recommendations for African Heads of State on: (1) Opportunities to create a conducive investment climate for continued development of the Africa-based pharma industry and (2) Follow-up actions relevant to the production of malaria control technologies.

31 May 2011

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