Guardian · 3 hours ago

First Malaria Drug for Babies Is Approved in ‘Major Public Health Milestone’ | Global Development | the Guardian

For centuries, malaria has claimed Africa's smallest children, but there was no safe treatment for infants under six months-until now. The WHO's approval of Coartem Baby, a cherry-flavored dissolvable tablet designed for newborns as small as 2kg, closes a gap that left vulnerable babies treated with adult formulations that risked dangerous dosing errors. Baby Wonder in Ghana, treated at 12 weeks old when his mother feared the worst, is now thriving-among the first to benefit from a drug developed after researchers challenged the long-held misconception that newborns retain maternal immunity. "For too long, newborns and young infants with malaria have fallen through the cracks because existing treatments were not designed with them in mind," said Dr. Martin Fitchet of the Medicines for Malaria Venture. Sometimes the most profound breakthroughs come not from discovering something entirely new, but from finally seeing-and caring for-those who were overlooked all along.