Old foes unite to create cheaper malaria pill

They are the unlikeliest bedfellows but their union has yielded a life-saving medicine that could transform the fight against one of the world's deadliest diseases.

The charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the global pharmaceuticals company, Sanofi-Aventis, have launched a new once-a-day treatment for malaria, at almost half the cost of existing treatments.

The drug, called ASAQ, is a combination of artesunate, the only effective treatment against resistant forms of malaria endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and amodiaquine, an older anti-malarial that is still effective against some strains.

The once-a-day combined pill is easy to take and will be priced at less than $1 (50p) a day. The high cost of existing drugs - $1 to $2 a day for adults - is a reason why fewer than 80 million treatments were provided worldwide last year for 500 million cases of the disease.

Malaria kills more than one million people a year, 90 per cent of them children under five. Last year, MSF treated 1.6 million with artesunate/amodiaquine, but in separate tablets.

Dr Michel Queré, medical co-ordinator for MSF in Chad, said: "Combining those two drugs in one tablet is a significant improvement because it will make malaria treatment much easier for patients. Children will only have to take one, instead of four, tablets a day for a three-day treatment. This will increase adherence and reduce the risk of drug resistance."

The combined pill is the first product to be launched by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative set up by MSF in 2003. MSF has been a fierce critic of the pharmaceutical industry but recognised that new drugs would have to come from the major manufacturers. ASAQ is the first product of the initiative and a further 22 projects are in development.

Sanofi has waived its right to seek a patent on the new pill, which will be available to be copied by generic manufacturers. The company will sell the drug at cost to the World Health Organisation, Unicef and the Global Fund.

Robert Sebag, vice-president for access to medicines at Sanofi, said: "This was not a love wedding - it was a reasonable wedding. Reasonableness is often more important for a long marriage. They have seen we are not nasty people working against poor countries and seeking only profits."

Even at its reduced price, the cost of ASAQ will have to come even lower if it is to reach the most vulnerable people in greatest need. Christophe Fournier, MSF International Council president, said: "The fact that the drug is not protected by a patent makes this a very promising model for further research on neglected diseases. It will allow for several sources of production, ensuring price competition andsufficient availability of the drug."