The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and sanofi-aventis have announced that a new fixed-dose combination of artesunate (AS) and amodiaquine (AQ), will soon be available throughout sub-Saharan Africa under the name Artesunate-Amodiaquine Winthrop® (ASAQ) for public markets, and Coarsucam® for private markets. To date, of the 41 sub-Saharan countries that have adopted ACTs in their malaria treatment protocols, 20 have chosen the combination of artesunate and amodiaquine.

Some facts about ASAQ

• For patients of all ages, including children below the age of 5 years
• Dosing regimen: from two tablets once a day for three days (adult dose) to one tablet once a day for 3 days (infant/child dose)
• Price: less than US $ 0.50 for children less than 5 years old, and for less than US$ 1 for older children and adults
• Price to public sector: Available at a preferential price to public organizations of endemic countries, international institutions, NGOs, and programs promoting access to drugs in pharmacies
• Manufacture: In Morocco at sanofi-aventis facilities
• WHO prequalification: will be sought to demonstrate adherence to international quality standards.
• Intellectual property: Non-exclusivity (no patent) agreement with sanofi-aventis

As with all fixed-dose combination drugs, ASAQ is expected to improve patient compliance and reduce the risk of parasite resistance to the two drugs.

Once within the reach of patients, ASAQ will save lives.

Medicines for Malaria Venture welcomes this development. DNDi and MMV expect to launch a number of important new antimalarial drugs before 2010. MMV believes that safety, efficacy and quality of medicines are paramount in providing the best care for patients in the developing world. These attributes are best validated by a stringent regulatory authority. MMV looks forward to working with DNDi and our many partners to save lives and make a global health impact.