New antimalarial combination progress

Geneva, 20 February 2012: Pyramax®, a fixed-dose combination of pyronaridine and artesunate, becomes the first antimalarial to be granted a positive scientific opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) under Article 58. This once daily, 3-day treatment is indicated for acute, uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum and blood stage Plasmodium vivax malaria in adults and children over 20 kg.

Pyramax tablets are the result of collaboration between the product development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture, and Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Republic of Korea. The approval is based upon clinical trials comparing the safety and efficacy of Pyramax to that of artemether-lumefantrine and a loose combination of artesunate and mefloquine for P. falciparum malaria, and versus chloroquine for P. vivax malaria.

Read full article at Medicines for Malaria Venture.