Coartem Dispersible
In January 2009, Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) launched Coartem Dispersible, the first artemisinin-based combination therapy developed specifically for children suffering from malaria. Coartem Dispersible contains the same ratio of artemether and lumefantrine as Coartem. A phase III study published in The Lancet showed that Coartem Dispersible provides a high cure rate of 97.8% for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which is comparable to that of Coartem (98.5%). Investigators also reported that it had a good safety profile.The sweet-tasting Coartem Dispersible tablets disperse quickly in small amounts of water, easing administration and ensuring effective dosing.
Novartis and MMV provide malaria case management educational programs, which include hands-on training for local healthcare workers, customized training manuals, and user-friendly packaging to ensure that Coartem Dispersible is properly used and to improve patient compliance. Like Coartem, Coartem Dispersible is provided to the public sector without profit.
Artemether/lumefantrine tablets are available in Pakistan under trade name Artelum by W. Woodwards Pakistan.
Read more about this topic: Artemether/lumefantrine