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Malaria: strong partnerships aim to benefit patients in Africa

24 April, 2008

In conjunction with the first World Malaria Day and a year after launching ASAQ*, sanofi-aventis and the National Malaria Control Programme confirm their strong partnership.

As part of their commitment to “transform hope into reality for all patients in Africa”, sanofi-aventis and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) Foundation built a partnership to co-develop an innovative pharmaceutical formulation for malaria, ASAQ - fixed-dose combination of artesunate (AS) and amodiaquine (AQ) - which embodies the following characteristics: Adapted, Simple, Accessible and Quality.

Since “drugs alone are not enough,” François Bompart, Vice-President, Medical and Head of the Impact Malaria Programme at sanofi-aventis, adds “we also need to ensure that the medical profession and populations have access to information on the drugs and the diseases they treat”.
Hence, sanofi-aventis provides countries using ASAQ with associated resources ranging from healthcare personnel training to raising population awareness of malaria and the dangers of the disease. These resources are adapted to the realities of the country in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCP).

This partnership between sanofi-aventis and the NMCP was established in the Côte d’Ivoire through adapting the associated resources to the country’s needs.

“We realised that we needed to join forces with other actors in the health sector, to treat but also to prevent disease,” stated Dr Moïse San Koffi, Director of the NMCP, “Working together can help control the disease more effectively. This is our number one objective. We are actually fighting for the same cause. Through this partnership, we hope to make real progress.”

Training in malaria management for healthcare personnel and a training guide for community health workers have been organised. A flip chart intended for the communities was developed by the NMCP with the support of sanofi-aventis. The aim is to raise awareness of malaria and the dangers of the disease in the community.

In conjunction with the first World Malaria Day, sanofi-aventis will also partner with the Côte d’Ivoire NMCP for the first edition of the intermunicipal awareness-raising contest for malaria and the dangers of the disease in a school setting.

*ASAQ is available under the name Artesunate-Amodiaquine Winthrop® (ASAQ) in the public sector in Africa, and under the brand name Coarsucam™ in private markets.

About Malaria:
• Malaria is one of the three most important diseases in Africa according to WHO, alongside HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis;
• The disease consumes a quarter of household incomes;
• Malaria is present in 100 countries, hence threatens nearly half of the world’s population
• 350 to 500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide each year, resulting in over one million deaths
• Malaria is the leading cause of death in children aged under 5 in Africa: it is estimated that one child dies from the disease every 30 seconds.

About ASAQ:
Sanofi-aventis and DNDi co-developed this new pharmaceutical formulation combining artesunate and amodiaquine, ASAQ, endowed with the following characteristics:

• Adapted to patients of all ages, and following WHO recommendations for the management of uncomplicated malaria;
• Simple to administer, under actual conditions of use;
• Accessible to all, due to its affordable price. The target treatment cost of less than $1 has been reached for public organisations in endemic countries, international institutions, and NGOs
• Quality in compliance with international Good Manufacturing Practice standards;

The efficacy of the product was demonstrated in a comparative study versus the fixed-dose artemether-lumefantrine combination. The ATAQ EASY (ArTesunate AmodiaQuine EfficAcy and SafetY) study was conducted in Senegal, Mali, Cameroon and Madagascar.

To date, more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have registered the new fixed-dose combination, and ASAQ has been included in the Global Fund list which has made it eligible for these countries since January 2008.

In those countries which have introduced the drug within their public organisations, ASAQ stands out because of its efficacy and simplicity in terms of use. The greatest demand is for the paediatric dosage strengths. The fact that the tablets may be dissolved in liquids is highly appreciated.
Many millions of individuals will be able to benefit from this new treatment every year.

About the Intermunicipal awareness-raising contest for malaria and the dangers of the disease in a school setting:

This is a contest based on theatrical plays, between ten schools representing each town in the District of Abidjan. The finals will be held at the Palais de la culture d’Abidjan on April 23, 2008.
The Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, the National Malaria Control Programme and the National School and University Health Programme are all involved in this contest.