New Drug Shows 97 Percent Effectiveness Against Malaria

A new malaria treatment known as ganaplacide/lumefantrine, also called GanLum, has demonstrated a 97 percent success rate in fighting malaria.

The drug was developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis in partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).

Successful Phase Three Clinical Trials

The results were announced after Phase Three clinical trials involving 1,688 participants, including adults and children.

The trials were conducted across 34 medical centers in 12 African countries.

Researchers say the findings mark a major milestone in the global fight against malaria.

Growing Resistance to Existing Malaria Drugs

Although current malaria treatments remain effective in many cases, health experts warn that their strength is gradually declining.

One notable example is artemisinin, a drug widely used for more than two decades.

Resistance to artemisinin was first detected in Cambodia about 20 years ago.

Since then, similar resistance has been reported in several African countries.

These include Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, and others.

Experts Raise Concern Over Drug Resistance

Professor Abdoulaye Djimdé, from the University of Science and Technology of Bamako in Mali, said resistance to malaria medicines is increasing across Africa.

He noted that this trend threatens progress made in malaria control over recent decades.

As a result, new and effective treatments are urgently needed.

Hope for a New Generation of Malaria Treatment

GanLum is expected to help address the growing challenge of drug-resistant malaria.

If approved, it will become the first new malaria medicine launched by Novartis since Coartem in 1999.

Health experts believe the drug could play a critical role in reducing malaria-related illness and deaths, especially in Africa.