Swiss Malaria Group – key facts and figures
SDC - DEZA
 Needs-based country programme support based on national health policies and
Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks including multi-stakeholder approaches (e.g.
Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Mali, Benin).
 Research capacity building: 1.4 Mio to the WHO/UNICEF/UNDP/WB Special
Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Disease (TDR); SDC-SNF co-funded
research programmes (NCCR, N-S partnership) for developing countries.
 Support to international organisations like the Global Fund to Fight Aids TB and Malaria
(GFATM) , Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Roll Back Malaria.
 Focus on long-term institutional support and integrated programme approaches to
endemic countries (e.g. Ifakara Health Research Centre in Tanzania, Community Based
Health Programmes)
 Specific Malaria Projects on country level: Supports coordination of the national ITN
programme (NATNETS) in Tanzania that is implemented by the STI.
Swiss Tropical Institute

Extensive basic research in malaria molecular biology and immunology.

Currently the worldwide largest primary screening centre for new active ingredients
against malaria (largely on behalf of MMV).

Comprehensive field work on measuring the impact of new or improved interventions:
• vaccines
• intermittent preventive treatment for infants – IPTi
• improved access to malaria treatment – with NFSD
• vector control (ITNs, IRS)
• development of new antimalarials
• new diagnostic approaches.

Coordination of the national ITN programme in Tanzania (NATNETS) with support from
SDC: 3 million ITNs distributed in 2008, 7.4 million ITNs to be distributed in 2009.

Support to 15 African countries to improve their diagnostic strategies.

Pre-travel medicine and treatment of Swiss travellers who contract malaria abroad.

Membership of numerous expert groups in malaria research and control.
Novartis Pharma

74 million Coartem® (artemether-lumefantrine) treatments supplied in 2008 (of which
70% or 52 million doses were paediatric doses for babies and young children).
Coartem® has regulatory approval in over 80 countries including Switzerland and the
United States. Novartis is clearly the worldwide market leader for a new generation of
quality ACTs.

In 2008, Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture developed Coartem® Dispersible,
an efficacious, easy to administer, sweet, cherry-flavoured formulation of Coartem for
babies and young children. Coartem® Dispersible has regulatory approval from
Swissmedic and from over 20 health regulatory authorities in malaria endemic
countries.
 Cumulatively, 215 million Coartem treatments have been supplied to over 45 countries
since the beginning of the Novartis Malaria Initiative in 2001.
Novartis foundation for Sustainable Development
 ACCESS project in Tanzania (implemented by IHI and the STI): operational research
on factors that are important for a prompt access to quality treatment, including access to
Coartem through improved drug shops (ADDOs). An estimated 100,000 treatments with
Coartem™ – but these are included in general Novartis estimate (since these are drugs
sold through WHO to the country).
 ALIVE project in Tanzania (implemented by the STI) to measure the impact of the
introduction of Coartem™ on health parameters, including child mortality.
 Support of the Millennium Development Villages with Coartem™ donation.
Approximately 20,000 doses, already included in Novartis estimate.
Mepha
 Sold in 2008 a total of 1.5 million doses of Artequin™ (Artesunate-Mefloquin) through
the private sector in African countries. From these 312,000 (21%) were Artequin™
Paediatric.
 Artequin™ Paediatric was the first fixed-dose ACT specifically developed as a
paediatric formulation (in forms of mango-flavoured pellets that don’t require water).
Registered in 18 African countries. Four clinical studies successfully completed in 2008.
 The usefulness of Plasmotrim™ Rectocaps™ (rectal artesunate) has just been
demonstrated by a series of large-scale trials in the control of malaria in severely ill
children.
Syngenta
Forthcoming
Vestergaard-Frandsen

More than 175 million PermaNet® bed nets have been distributed to date to prevent
malaria.

In 2008, the company launched PermaNet® insecticidal curtains, to prevent malaria,
dengue, and other vector-borne diseases.

September 2008 saw the launch of an innovative public health campaign called the
Integrated Prevention Demonstration (IPD), which combined malaria, diarrhoea and
HIV/AIDS disease control interventions in Kakamega, Kenya. Men, women and young
people of reproductive age 15-49 years came out in tens of thousands to participate in
the week-long HIV counselling and testing campaign. As encouragement for their
participation, local residents received a lifesaving CarePackTM containing PermaNet®
long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs), LifeStraw® water purifiers, condoms
and educational materials for the prevention of malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and
sexually transmitted diseases.
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

MMV manages the largest-ever pipeline of antimalarial drug projects. It operates as a
virtual drug company and relies on an extensive network of partners, including
pharmaceutical companies, academic research institutions, donors and others.

MMV’s work covers the whole development path, from discovery research, through
pre-clinical and clinical development, to post-marketing surveillance

MMV’s portfolio comprises four new medicines in clinical development, of which two
are artemisinin combination therapies nearing registration, and two are in Phase II.
Two products are currently being tested in Phase I.

It also has six new medicines in preclinical development and several projects and miniportfolios in early discovery research..

Five molecules in development have evidence of activity against the dormant liverstage (or hypnozoite) of Plasmodium vivax, an important property in view of MMV’s aim
to work towards the eventual elimination of malaria.
Solidarmed

Solidarmed operates integrated health development projects in a number of countries.
Malaria-specific activities in 2008 were: distribution of 10,000 insecticide treated bed
nets and treatment of 20,000 patients,