Cost of malaria drug set to fall

The modern Anti-malaria drugs. The cost of the first-line malaria drug, Coartem, is likely to be reduced from Sh300 to between Sh20 and Sh30 per dose in two years. Photo/FILE

The cost of drugs for treating malaria in Kenya will soon fall drastically, a Health ministry official has hinted.

The head of malaria control in the Medical Services ministry, Dr Elizabeth Juma on Tuesday said the cost of the first-line malaria drug, Coartem, is likely to be reduced from Sh300 to between Sh20 and Sh30 per dose in two years.

“Talks between the government, donors and manufacturers appear to have borne fruit and the price of artemisinin-based malaria drugs is likely to fall drastically,” Dr Juma said.

In Kenya, malaria kills 34,000 children under five annually (about 90 children daily) and is to blame for the birth of 6,000 underweight babies each year.

Pregnant women

The disease is also the leading cause of anaemia among pregnant women.

Experts say about 25 million people in Kenya are at risk of attacks annually.

The disease accounts for 30 per cent of outpatients in hospitals while 20 per cent of admissions suffer from the disease.

Dr Juma said 170 million working days are lost due to malaria annually. At an average wage of Sh200 per day, this translates to Sh34 billion. “This translates to a reduction of 1.3 per cent of economic growth,” she said.

Dr Juma said her department spent Sh640 million annually on Coartem, which is supplied free countrywide.

She was speaking at the launch of Malaria Prevention Month in Nairobi.

Free mosquito nets

Mr Arthur Itotia, an official of Vestergaard Frandsen (EA) Ltd, a company that manufactures treated mosquito nets, said the firm would distribute free nets this month.

“In our ongoing partnership, we have distributed more than three million treated nets to pregnant women and children aged five years and below,” Mr Itotia said.