Malaria
Novartis has been committed to the fight against malaria for the past two decades. In 1999 we launched the first fixed-dose Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and in 2009 the first dispersible pediatric ACT developed in partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). Today we are working on the development of the next generation of antimalarials.
Over the past 20 years, together with our partners, we have delivered more than 980 million treatments, including over 430 million pediatric treatments to malaria-endemic countries.
Follow us on social media at #MalariaFuture
Read more about our malaria activities in our 2020 Novartis in Society ESG Report.
Working toward a malaria-free world
Despite the tremendous progress made in combating malaria, one child still dies from the disease every two minutes. Novartis is committed to contribute to the WHO's target of reducing malaria-related child mortality by at least 90% in 2030.
Working on the next generation of antimalarials
"Resistance to treatment presents the biggest threat to the incredible progress that has been made in the fight against malaria in the past 20 years. We cannot afford to wait; this is why we are committing to advance the research and development of next-generation treatments," said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis.
Europe-Africa partnership spearheads development of next-generation antimalarial drug.
Local insights and learnings are key to accelerating progress
In 2018 and 2019, in order to bring voices from local malaria experts – from government, the research community and NGOs – in the global debate, we commissioned an opinion research in sub-Saharan and Central Africa, and in five countries in South and Southeast Asia on progress and challenges toward the 2030 malaria elimination goals. Despite differences, the MalaFA (Malaria Futures for Africa/Asia) reports identify common challenges such as the need for increased domestic financing; training new cohorts of healthcare workers in malaria care; and continued investment in R&D to effectively fight insecticide and ACT resistance.
Learn more about the MalaFA reports.
How can digital help to fight malaria?
Bertrand Bodson, Chief Digital Officer at Novartis, shares his experience when he had malaria as a child. He highlights how digital can help to fight and eliminate malaria.
World Malaria Day 2020
On World Malaria Day, we are calling on the global health community to uphold progress against malaria, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More on our malaria work
- Novartis malaria stories
- Malaria resources
- All malaria news
- Follow us on social media at #MalariaFuture
- Videos