This Day Examines Nigeria’s Transition to ACTs for Malaria Treatment

Nigeria's This Day on Monday examined the country's transition from older antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine to newer, artemisinin-based combination therapies. Nigeria's Ministry of Health is in the midst of a two-year transition period to introduce ACTs as the first line of treatment for the disease. However, many patients and health facilities in poorer regions of the country cannot afford the drugs, and chloroquine and other less-expensive antimalarials often are still used in those areas. According to Emmanuel Ezedinachi of the World Health Organization, ACTs should be made more affordable through subsidies or local mass production so that more people can access the therapies. Most patients "cannot afford to spend [$9 to $10] for an illness like malaria as against chloroquine and fansidar, which may cost them something in the neighborhood of [$1.50] together and they are done," Dr. Ify Monye of Nigeria's Abuja National Hospital said, adding, "From that point of view, many patients cannot afford in as much as we want to prescribe for them. The cost is beyond the majority who live in this country." However, the government recently selected 18 states for a pilot program offering ACTs at no cost to pregnant women and children under five years old (Haruna, This Day, 7/18).