Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Artesunate-Amodiaquine still the preferred drug for malaria treatment- says expert

The Northern Zonal Coordinator of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) , Sylvester Segbaya, has recommended the use of Artesunate -Amodiaquine as the preferred fast acting drug for the treatment of malaria and its related cases. According to him studies conducted by Noguchi and Korle-Bu clearly shows that Artesunate- Amodiaquine still remains the drug of choice and has the capacity of reducing fevers and other symptoms associated with malaria. He said despite unanticipated adverse reactions and widespread media outcry on the use of the drug, it is affordable and has the potential for local production with an efficacy of 97 percent. Mr. Segbaya disclosed this in an interview with Radio Ghana at Bolgatanga. Touching on the revised anti-malaria drug policy, Mr. Segbaya said the policy is based on current evidence on malaria treatment and lessons learnt in the implementation of the previous policies. He emphasized that the policy has an over arching goal of providing prompt ,safe, effective and appropriate malaria treatment to the populace particularly pregnant women and children under five years. The implementation of the revised drug policy, he re-emphasized, is to facilitate the attainment of rapid and long lasting clinical cure and also reduce the incessant high rate of morbidity including malaria–related anaemia. He mentioned the continuing and unacceptable high malaria cases and deaths resulting from treatment failure, and the general public’s dissatisfaction with the old policy as well as the poor quality of drugs such as chloroquine, as some of the factors that informed the change of the old policy. Mr. Segbaya said the revision of the drug policy which was being supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other multilateral health partners came up with some interventional measures and recommendation that has the capability of dealing with malaria related cases and touched specifically on Artemisinin–Based Combination Therapy (ACT) as the preferred and most effective drug therapy for the treatment of complicated malaria. The Artemisinin Combination Therapy for Malaria (ACTm), he noted has been rolled out and is being patronized for the treatment of malaria. This he said comes under the Affordable Medicine Facility for Malaria. The introduction of the new drug he explained is to help drive sub-standard and monotherapies from the open market. Its usage would be run for the next two years with Ghana being chosen as one of the selected pilot countries. He said beyond the pilot phase, the Global Fund of the USAID, is yet to take a decision to find out whether it should be scaled beyond its target period. Mr. Segabaya advised the general public to be cautious when patronizing the ACT drugs, stressing that the drug has a green leaf logo inscription on its package adding that any ACT drug without the logo should be regarded as a fake drug. The drug he said is effective and should not be bought above the approve price of 1 Ghana Cedis 50 Pesewas. According to him the directive for the sale of the ACT malaria drugs is applicable to private pharmacy and chemical shops throughout the country and should be noted as such.

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