A Sweet Victory Against Malaria for Babies

Malaria kills more than 500,000 African children every year. Treating very small babies is difficult because most medicines are not made for them.

That is now changing. Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) have created a new medicine called Coartem Baby. It is a dissolvable, cherry-flavoured tablet made for newborns and infants weighing 2–5 kg.

No more crushing bitter adult tablets or trying to measure very small doses. Coartem Baby is safe, easy to give, and simple for babies to swallow.

In 2025, it was approved by Swissmedic and is expected to be used in African countries soon.

Doctors say it could save thousands of newborn lives each year by closing a deadly treatment gap. Parents will also find it easier to care for their babies.

This shows that African children deserve medicines made for them—not adult drugs broken into pieces.

Source: Novartis & Medicines for Malaria Venture, Swissmedic approval – Press Release, July 8 2025; Washington Post, July 8 2025.