Novartis, East African Botanicals Partner To Increase Coartem Production

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis on Monday announced it is partnering with Kenya-based East African Botanicals to increase cultivation of the Artemisia annua plant to meet demanded for its artemisinin-based combination therapy Coartem, which is used to treat malaria, Reuters reports. Novartis -- which provides the ACT to developing countries at cost -- said that it plans to expand production of the plant to more than 1,000 hectares in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through its partnership with EAB. The increased production will bring the total to about 10,000 hectares, allowing the drug maker to produce more than 100 million doses of Coartem by the end of 2006 (Reuters, 6/6). "Our goal is to help EAB quickly and significantly increase its production capacity and create a stable market for artemisinin," Silvio Gabriel, executive vice president of malaria initiatives at Novartis, said, adding, "This will allow us to meet our own production goals for Coartem and bring this life-saving medicine to millions more patients suffering from malaria" (DowJones Newswires, 6/6).