Latest news with #ISGlobal
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
First anti-malaria drug for newborns approved
Switzerland's medical products authority has granted the first approval for a malaria medicine designed for small infants, touted as an advance against a disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives — nearly all in Africa — each year. Swissmedic gave a green light Tuesday for the medicine from Basel-based pharmaceutical company Novartis for the treatment of babies with body weights between 2 and 5kg, which could pave the way for hard-hit African nations to follow suit in the coming months. The agency said that the decision is significant in part because it's only the third time it has approved a treatment under a fast-track authorization process, in coordination with the World Health Organization, to help developing countries access needed treatment. The newly approved medication is a lower-dose version of a tablet previously approved for other age groups, including older children. Dr. Quique Bassat, a malaria expert not affiliated with the Swiss review, said the burden of malaria in very young children is 'relatively low' compared to older kids. But access to such medicines is important to all, he said. 'There is no doubt that any child of whichever age — and particularly very, very young ones or very light-weighted ones — require a treatment,' said Bassat, the director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, known as ISGlobal. Up to now, antimalarial drugs designed for older children have been administered to small infants in careful ways to avoid overdose or toxicity, in what Bassat called a 'suboptimal solution' that the newly designed medicine could help rectify. 'This is a drug which we know is safe, we know works well, and therefore it will just be available as a new version for a specific age group,' he said. Ruairidh Villar, a Novartis spokesperson, said that eight African countries took part in the assessment and are expected to approve the medicine within 90 days. The company said that it's planning on a rollout on a 'largely not-for-profit basis' in countries where malaria is endemic. Dr Bhargavi Rao, co-director of the Malaria Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that malaria cases continue to rise — especially in crisis-hit countries — despite new vaccines and programs targeting the mosquitoes that spread the parasite. She said access strategies for the new medicine must include a look at where needs are greatest, and urged clarity on pricing. 'We need transparency around what Novartis' 'largely not for profit' statement means including publicly available pricing, which countries will benefit and how long for,' she wrote in an email. Still, she said it was 'significant to finally have a suitable and safe treatment for very young children — more than 20 years since WHO first pre-qualified CoArtem for older age groups. She noted the announcement comes as resistance to antimalarials has been growing and many traditional donor countries have been sharply cutting outlays for global health — including for malaria programming and research. The mosquito-borne illness is the deadliest disease in Africa, whose 1.5 billion people accounted for 95 per cent of an estimated 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023, according to WHO. More than three-quarters of those deaths were among children.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Swiss authority issues first approval for antimalaria drug for newborns
Switzerland's medical products authority has granted the first approval for a malaria medicine designed for small infants, touted as an advance against a disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives — nearly all in Africa — each year. Swissmedic gave a green light Tuesday for the medicine from Basel-based pharmaceutical company Novartis for the treatment of babies with body weights between 2 and 5kg, which could pave the way for hard-hit African nations to follow suit in the coming months. The agency said that the decision is significant in part because it's only the third time it has approved a treatment under a fast-track authorization process, in coordination with the World Health Organization, to help developing countries access needed treatment. The newly approved medication is a lower-dose version of a tablet previously approved for other age groups, including older children. Dr. Quique Bassat, a malaria expert not affiliated with the Swiss review, said the burden of malaria in very young children is 'relatively low' compared to older kids. But access to such medicines is important to all, he said. 'There is no doubt that any child of whichever age — and particularly very, very young ones or very light-weighted ones — require a treatment,' said Bassat, the director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, known as ISGlobal. Up to now, antimalarial drugs designed for older children have been administered to small infants in careful ways to avoid overdose or toxicity, in what Bassat called a 'suboptimal solution' that the newly designed medicine could help rectify. 'This is a drug which we know is safe, we know works well, and therefore it will just be available as a new version for a specific age group,' he said. Ruairidh Villar, a Novartis spokesperson, said that eight African countries took part in the assessment and are expected to approve the medicine within 90 days. The company said that it's planning on a rollout on a 'largely not-for-profit basis' in countries where malaria is endemic. Dr Bhargavi Rao, co-director of the Malaria Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that malaria cases continue to rise — especially in crisis-hit countries — despite new vaccines and programs targeting the mosquitoes that spread the parasite. She said access strategies for the new medicine must include a look at where needs are greatest, and urged clarity on pricing. 'We need transparency around what Novartis' 'largely not for profit' statement means including publicly available pricing, which countries will benefit and how long for,' she wrote in an email. Still, she said it was 'significant to finally have a suitable and safe treatment for very young children — more than 20 years since WHO first pre-qualified CoArtem for older age groups. She noted the announcement comes as resistance to antimalarials has been growing and many traditional donor countries have been sharply cutting outlays for global health — including for malaria programming and research. The mosquito-borne illness is the deadliest disease in Africa, whose 1.5 billion people accounted for 95 per cent of an estimated 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023, according to WHO. More than three-quarters of those deaths were among children.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Swiss medicines authority issues first approval for antimalarial drug for treatment of infants
Switzerland's medical products authority has granted the first approval for a malaria medicine designed for small infants, touted as an advance against a disease that takes hundreds of thousands of lives — nearly all in Africa — each year. Swissmedic gave a green light Tuesday for the medicine from Basel-based pharmaceutical company Novartis for treatment of babies with body weights between 2 and 5 kilograms (nearly 4½ to 11 pounds), which could pave the way for hard-hit African nations to follow suit in coming months. The agency said that the decision is significant in part because it's only the third time it has approved a treatment under a fast-track authorization process, in coordination with the World Health Organization, to help developing countries access needed treatment. The newly approved medication is a lower dose version of a tablet previously approved for other age groups, including older children. Dr. Quique Bassat, a malaria expert not affiliated with the Swiss review, said the burden of malaria in very young children is 'relatively low' compared to older kids. But access to such medicines is important to all, he said. 'There is no doubt that any child of whichever age — and particularly very, very young ones or very light-weighted ones — require a treatment,' said Bassat, the director- general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, known as ISGlobal. Up to now, antimalarial drugs designed for older children have been administered to small infants in careful ways to avoid overdose or toxicity, in what Bassat called a 'suboptimal solution' that the newly designed medicine could help rectify. 'This is a drug which we know is safe, we know works well, and therefore it will just be available as a new version for a specific age group,' he said. Ruairidh Villar, a Novartis spokesperson, said that eight African countries took part in the assessment and are expected to approve the medicine within 90 days. The company said that it's planning on a rollout on a 'largely not-for-profit basis' in countries where malaria is endemic. Dr. Bhargavi Rao, co-director of the Malaria Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, noted that malaria cases continue to rise — especially in crisis-hit countries — despite new vaccines and programs targeting the mosquitoes that spread the parasite. She said access strategies for the new medicine must include a look at where needs are greatest, and urged clarity on pricing. 'We need transparency around what Novartis' 'largely not for profit' statement means including publicly available pricing, which countries will benefit and how long for,' she wrote in an email. Still, she said it was 'significant to finally have a suitable and safe treatment for very young children — more than 20 years since WHO first pre-qualified CoArtem for older age groups. She noted the announcement comes as resistance to antimalarials has been growing and many traditional donor countries have been sharply cutting outlays for global health — including for malaria programming and research. The mosquito-borne illness is the deadliest disease in Africa, whose 1.5 billion people accounted for 95% of an estimated 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023, according to WHO. More than three-quarters of those deaths were among children.
eNCA
01-07-2025
- Health
- eNCA
Over 14 million people could die from US foreign aid cuts: study
WASHINGTON - More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected on Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a UN conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then-close advisor -- and world's richest man -- Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency "through the woodchipper". The funding cuts "risk abruptly halting -- and even reversing -- two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations," warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). "For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. They also used modelling to project how funding being slashed by 83 percent -- the figure announced by the US government earlier this year -- could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five -- or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programmes supported by USAID were linked to a 15-percent decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers found. For children under five, the drop in deaths was twice as steep at 32 funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65 percent fewer deaths from HIV/AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. - 'Time to scale up' - After USAID was gutted, several other major donors including Germany, the UK and France followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. AFP/File | CRISTINA QUICLER These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to "even more additional deaths in the coming years," study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal said. But the grim projections for deaths were based on the current amount of pledged aid, so could rapidly come down if the situation changes, the researchers emphasised. Dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for the biggest aid conference in a decade. The US, however, will not attend. "Now is the time to scale up, not scale back," Rasella said. Before its funding was slashed, USAID represented 0.3 percent of all US federal spending. "I think most people would support continued USAID funding if they knew just how effective such a small contribution can be to saving millions of lives." by Daniel Lawler
The Wire
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Wire
Over 14 Million People Could Die from US Foreign Aid Cuts: Study
More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected on Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a UN conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided over 40% of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then-close advisor – and world's richest man – Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency "through the woodchipper". The funding cuts "risk abruptly halting – and even reversing – two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations," warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). "For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. They also used modelling to project how funding being slashed by 83% – the figure announced by the US government earlier this year – could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five – or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programmes supported by USAID were linked to a 15% decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers found. For children under five, the drop in deaths was twice as steep at 32%. USAID funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65% fewer deaths from HIV/AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. 'Time to scale up' After USAID was gutted, several other major donors including Germany, the UK and France followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to "even more additional deaths in the coming years," study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal said. But the grim projections for deaths were based on the current amount of pledged aid, so could rapidly come down if the situation changes, the researchers emphasised. Dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for the biggest aid conference in a decade. The US, however, will not attend. "Now is the time to scale up, not scale back," Rasella said. Before its funding was slashed, USAID represented 0.3% of all US federal spending. "US citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID, around $64 per year," said study co-author James Macinko of the University of California, Los Angeles. "I think most people would support continued USAID funding if they knew just how effective such a small contribution can be to saving millions of lives."
