Novartis Wins Approval for First Malaria Medicine for Babies

Novartis AG won regulatory approval for the first medicine designed for babies with malaria, the latest development in the global fight against the mosquito-borne disease.

The Swiss drugmaker said Tuesday the country’s agency Swissmedic approved a new formulation of its drug Coartem to treat infants weighing from 2 kilograms to under 5 kilograms (11 pounds). The company expects approval from eight countries in Africa to follow, and plans to roll out the treatment on a “largely not-for-profit basis,” it said.