Cipla a leading generic pharma company in collaboration with Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) announced the forthcoming launch of the fixed-dose combination of artesunate (AS)+mefloquine (MQ) for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparummalaria. This new fixed-dose combination treatment will be introduced in India under the brand name ‘MEFLIAM Plus’.

Targeted as an option for treating resistant uncomplicated falciparum malaria, the new combination simplifies the patient’s treatment with a single dose of one or two tablets for three days, ensuring that the drugs are taken together and in correct proportions. A ‘two-in-one’ combination therapy improves the patient’s adherence to treatment, offering him a greater chance of cure and decreasing the risk of emerging parasitic resistance to treatment.

The combination of AS and MQ is proven to be a safe, rapid and reliably effective treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparummalaria and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A comparative study of all four WHO recommended treatments showed that a fixed-dose combination of ASMQ provided the greatest post-treatment suppression of malaria. Clinical efficacy of this fixed-dose combination has been established in various countries including India.

Through an innovative partnership supported and facilitated by DNDi in 2008, Cipla entered into an agreement with the Brazilian government-owned pharmaceutical company Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz to introduce the new fixed-dose combination in Asian and African countries. The product will be launched in India and Malaysia soon where it has already been registered.

The drugs for the fixed-dose combination (ASMQ) are being manufactured in Cipla’s world class manufacturing unit in Patalganga, which are approved by WHO-Geneva, US FDA, MHRA-UK and various other regulatory bodies.

Commenting on the forthcoming launch, Dr Y K Hamied, chairman and managing director, Cipla said, “We are extremely proud to partner with DNDi to launch the fixed-dose combination ‘ASMQ’ for anti-malarial treatment. We look forward to the launch of a potent option for treating resistant falciparum malaria. This reinforces Cipla’s commitment and its promise 'none shall be denied' by making medicines accessible for neglected diseases like malaria.”

“We have successfully collaborated with Cipla since 2008 to develop a fixed-dose combination therapy for malaria in ASEAN countries. Having ASMQ available for Southeast Asian patients in need is the result of technology transfer from Farmanguinhos in Brazil to Cipla in India. Following registration in India and Malaysia, we now aim for this improved treatment to be made available to malaria victims throughout the region,” said Dr Bernard Pécoul, executive director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).