Malaria: strong partnerships aiming to benefit patients in Africa

On the occasion of the first World Malaria Day and a year after launching ASAQ*, sanofi-aventis and the National Malaria Control Programme of Côte d'Ivoire have confirmed their strong partnership.

As part of their commitment to "transform hope into reality for all patients in Africa", sanofi-aventis and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) Foundation have built a partnership to co-develop an innovative pharmaceutical formulation for malaria, ASAQ-fixed-dose combination of Artesunate (AS) Amodiaquine (AQ) - which embodies the following characteristics: Adapted, Simple, Accessible and Quality.

Since "drugs alone are not enough," François Bompart, Vice-President, Medical and Head of the Impact Malaria Programme at Sanofi-Aventis, adds "we also need to ensure that the medical profession and populations have access to information on the drugs and the diseases they treat".

Hence, sanofi-aventis provides countries using ASAQ with associated resources ranging from the training of healthcare personnel to raising population awareness of malaria and the dangers of the disease. These resources are adapted to the realities of the country in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).

This partnership between sanofi-aventis and the NMCP was established in Côte d'Ivoire through adapting the associated resources to the country's needs. "We realised that we needed to join forces with other actors in the health sector, to treat but also to prevent the disease," stated Dr Moïse San Koffi, Director of the NMCP, "working together can help control the disease more effectively. This is our number one objective. We are actually fighting for the same cause. Through this partnership we hope to make real progress".

On the occasion of the first World Malaria Day, Sanofi-Aventis also partnered with the Côte d'Ivoire NMCP for the first edition of the intermunicipal awareness raising contest for malaria and the dangers of the disease in a school setting.

About ASAQ

Sanofi-aventis and DNDi co-developed this new pharmaceutical formulation combining Artesunate and Amodiaquine, ASAQ, endowed with the following characteristics:

• Adapted to patients of all ages, and following WHO recommendations for the management of uncomplicated malaria
• Simple to administer, under actual conditions of use
• Accessible to all, due to it's affordable price. The target treatment cost of less than $1 has been reached for public organisations in endemic countries, international institutions, and NGOs
• Quality in compliance with international Good Manufacturing Practice standards

The efficacy of the product was demonstrated in a comparative study versus the fixed-dose-artemether-lumefantrine combination. The ATAQ EASY (ArTesunate AmodiaQuine EfficAcy and SafetY) study was conducted in Senegal, Mali, Cameroon and Madagascar. To date, more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have registered the new fixed-dose combination, and ASAQ has been included in the Global Fund list which has made it eligible for these countries since January 2008.

In those countries which have introduced the drug within their public organizations, ASAQ stands out because of its efficacy and simplicity in terms of use. The greatest demand is for paediatric dosage strengths. The fact that the tablets may be dissolved in liquids is highly appreciated.

Every year, many millions of individuals will be able to benefit from this new treatment.