Coartem Baby

Coartem Baby is an infant-friendly, dispersible oral formulation of the antimalarial combination artemether and lumefantrine, optimized for newborns and young infants weighing 2 to less than 5 kilograms with acute, uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria or mixed infections including P. falciparum. It was developed by Novartis in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture and received Swissmedic approval in 2025 under the Marketing Authorization for Global Health Products procedure, with rapid authorizations expected in several African countries. Mechanistically, artemether (an artemisinin derivative) rapidly reduces parasite biomass by producing reactive metabolites after activation by intraparasitic heme/iron, while lumefantrine, a longer-acting partner drug, inhibits heme detoxification/biocrystallization in the parasite’s food vacuole, providing sustained parasite clearance and reducing recrudescence. The formulation is dispersible and designed to be mixed with a small volume of liquid, including breast milk, to facilitate accurate dosing and administration in very small infants.

Brand names

Coartem Baby

Other names

Riamet Baby