THE SUN SPECIAL REPORT ON world MALARIA day
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For millions of malaria sufferers in Nigeria, a trip to a local “chemist shop” for a “mixture” of mélange of tablets is all that is required for treatment. This explains why malaria kills more than dreaded diseases.
According to Uyagu and Omoigberale, malaria accounts for 25 per cent of under-five mortality, 30 per cent of childhood mortality and 11 per cent of maternal mortality. In Nigeria, 70 per cent of pregnant women suffer from malaria each year, and it causes anemia in pregnancy, abortion, stillbirth and low birth weight infants.
Time was when Chloroquine was the combat drug for malaria. But the growing resistance of malaria to the drug led experts to come up with the ACT combination therapy. With the staggering estimate of Nigerians who fall prey to malaria yearly, Nigeria is no doubt a huge market for ACT brands of malaria drugs.
The country’s Pharmaceutical stores and even local “chemist shops” are bourgeoning with a plethora of such drugs. Experts are of the view that Camosunate is not only one of the ACT drugs in the market but also one of the most efficacious.
Camosunate is a combination of Artesunate and Amodiaquine. It is of the four forms of ACT recommended by WHO. This by the virtue of its Artesunate and Amodiaquine (AS + AQ) content. The brand is in a class of its own. Some of the classy qualities of Camosunate include its Artesunate and Amodiaquine content.
The malaria drug comes in four ranges thus making it a brand of choice for pharmacists and medical doctors.
Besides, Camosunate boasts of residual protection as a result of half- life of over 30 days due to the Amodiaquine component.
Also, Camosunate is children friendly as it comes in a vanilla flavoured children formulation. It equally has single unit granular doses for children. Unlike other malaria preparations for children, with Camosunate, there is no need for reconstitution and refrigeration.
The drug has the advantage of three days dosage regimen and is affordable and available in all healthcare outlets across the country.
The efficacy of Camousnates in malaria treatment resonates positively among Nigerians. For example, in a recent study on Malaria treatment using the ACT, a broad spectrum of respondents picked Camosunate as an instrument of study. Their words: “One of the Artesunate plus Amodiaquine brands in the country is Camosunate by Geneith Pharmaceutical Limited.
This study is a clinical study of the efficacy and safety of Camosunate in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. The combination of Artesunate and Amodiaquine is known with various names, including Camosunate. Marketed in Nigeria by Geneith Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited, Camosunate combats Malaria scourge headlong.
The efficacy of Camosunate in treatment of Malaria earned the drug effusive praises from the Institute of Government Research and Leadership Technology (IGRLT) in 2012 when the Institute named it “The Best Malaria Management Drug”. The brand, which is one of the flagship brands of Geneith, was recognised by the IGRL as the best drug in its category because of many positive indications such as product quality, value creation and efficacy, international standard compliance with regulatory law, track records and ethical standard associated with it.
As the World Malaria Day is marked, Emeka Nwachukwu, General Manager Sales, Geneith, said the company believes that the world is capable of defeating the malaria menace if the right medication and drugs are applied.
Camosunate comes in adult and children formulae. Children Camosunate has the unique qualities of being the first innovative pediatrics formulation introduced for the first time in Nigeria, in granular sachets. The concepts behind this technology are to produce children’s anti-malaria drugs in sachets such that parents who treat Malaria do not need to measure doses of drugs with spoons.
Geneith boss, Emmanuel Umenwa is optimistic that with Camosunate, which is endorsed by NAFDAC, sufferers of malaria in Nigeria now have a credible but efficacious alternative in the battle against the disease.