The WHO’s approval of Coartem Baby proves that even the poorest infants can become valued consumers

FIG. 01 Pharmaceutical executives celebrate the World Health Organization's approval of Coartem Baby, the first malaria treatment for infants under six months, by displaying the medication with tweezers and toasting with champagne over oysters at a restaurant.

I have always maintained that the global health sector's greatest failure was its inability to properly monetize the newborn demographic. With the WHO’s approval of the first malaria drug for babies, that oversight is finally being corrected.

Over oysters with a pharmaceutical strategist last month, I made a simple point: why are we ignoring the under-six-month market? In parts of Africa, up to 18 percent of infants will contract malaria. Until now, there was no approved, safe treatment for the smallest of them. We were letting hundreds of thousands of potential consumers simply expire before they could develop brand loyalty. Frankly, it was an appalling waste of market share.

It is incredibly rewarding to finally view a sick, impoverished newborn as a viable growth sector.

Harrison Pelly, Global Director of Neonatal Monetization Strategies at Novartis

Let me be clear. When 610,000 people die annually from malaria, three-quarters of them under five, we are watching future pharmaceutical stakeholders vanish. The WHO prequalification of Coartem Baby isn't just a public health milestone. It is a vital step toward integrating the world's most vulnerable infants into the global economy. I, for one, applaud the industry for finally recognizing that just because a child is too young to hold up their own head doesn't mean they can't pull their weight in the marketplace.