In conjunction with the first World Malaria Day and a year after launching ASAQ, sanofi-aventis and the National Malaria Control Programme confirm their strong partnership.

As part of their commitment to "Transform hope into reality for all patients in Africa", sanofi-aventis and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) Foundation built a partnership to co-develop an innovative pharmaceutical formulation for malaria, ASAQ - fixed-dose combination of artesunate (AS) and amodiaquine (AQ).

Since "drugs alone are not enough," François Bompart, vice-president, medical and head of the Impact Malaria Programme at sanofi-aventis, adds "We also need to ensure that the medical profession and populations have access to information on the drugs and the diseases they treat".

Hence, sanofi-aventis provides countries using ASAQ with associated resources ranging from healthcare personnel training to raising population awareness of malaria and the dangers of the disease. These resources are adapted to the realities of the country in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCP).

This partnership between sanofi-aventis and the NMCP was established in the Côte d'Ivoire through adapting the associated resources to the country's needs. "We realised that we needed to join forces with other actors in the health sector, to treat but also to prevent disease," stated Dr Moïse San Koffi, director of the NMCP, "Working together can help control the disease more effectively. This is our number one objective. We are actually fighting for the same cause. Through this partnership, we hope to make real progress".

Training in malaria management for healthcare personnel and a training guide for community health workers have been organised. A flip chart intended for the communities was developed by the NMCP with the support of sanofi-aventis. The aim is to raise awareness of malaria and the dangers of the disease in the community.

In conjunction with the first World Malaria Day, sanofi-aventis will also partner with the Côte d'Ivoire NMCP for the first edition of the intermunicipal awareness-raising contest for malaria and the dangers of the disease in a school setting.

ASAQ is available under the name Artesunate-Amodiaquine Winthrop (ASAQ) in the public sector in Africa, and under the brand name Coarsucam in private markets.