Health experts and growers of an anti-malaria plant – Artemisia annua – began a three-day conference on Monday in Tanzanias northern town of Arusha in a bid to ensure a reliable supply of the artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), IRIN reports.
– A dependable supply of ACTs is crucial for preventing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year from falciparum malaria, the deadliest form of the disease, said Allan Schapira, the coordinator of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Strategy and Policy Team Roll Back Malaria Department.
Falciparum malaria, the most dangerous type of the disease, causes as many as 400 million infections every year and at least a million deaths, 80 percent of which occur in sub-Sahara Africa.
The conference, convened by WHO, marks the first time that actors involved in the various steps of ACT production – from seed planting and artemisinin processing to the manufacture of finished pharmaceuticals – are meeting.
– The holding of the meeting in Africa will help encourage African growers and producers manufacture cheap and effective malaria drugs, Dr Andrea Kitua of Tanzanias Medical Research Institute, said.
He said if the production of ACTs were stepped up, the cost of anti-malaria drugs would greatly reduce.
Since 2001, 51 countries, 34 of them in Africa, have taken WHOs recommendation and adopted ACTs as a first-line treatment for malaria. Eighteen countries adopted ACTs in 2004 alone, increasing demand for the drug from 2 million treatment courses in 2003 to 30 million courses.
Medical experts project that 70 million treatment courses would be required for 2005, translating to a shortfall of artemisin and ACTs.
According to WHO, a key strategy is to step up cultivation of Artemisia annua across East Africa, particularly Tanzania and Kenya, where encouraging results have already been achieved.
The meeting is due to review the status of ACT supply and anticipated demand as well as create a sustainable market with reduced prices.
ACTs are 10 times more costly than chloroquine and other commonly used anti-malaria drugs, which are no longer effective in many regions because the malaria parasite has become resistant to them.
– This meeting comes at a crucial moment, Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, the director of the WHO Roll Back Malaria Department, said. adding:
– So far, just 25 countries worldwide, 12 of them in Africa, have begun producing these medicines. We want to encourage others to start placing their orders.
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
