The first malaria treatment for babies and very young children of 2 months up to 5 years was approved for use by Swiss agency for therapeutic products, Swissmedic, in early July 2025. Until now, babies and very young children have been treated with medicines formulated for older children.
The Conversation Africa asked Fortunate Mokoena, about the significance of this approval and what it means for the battle against malaria in Africa. She is a biochemist working on the identification of novel therapeutics for diseases that disproportionately affect children under five, including malaria and pneumonia.
