Ipca''s anti-malarial product Artesunate pre-qualified by WHO
15 Sep 2007
Ipca Laboratories Ltd has received approval for its Anti malarial finished product formulation, artesunate tablets 50mg under WHO''s prequalification programme. The product is now listed in the WHO pre-qualification product list, dated 30 August 2007.
Artesunate
50mg tablets are an artemisinin-based formulation, which
is recommended by WHO to be used in combination with other
anti-malarials, such as:
1. Amodiaquine;
2. Mefloquine; or
3. Sulfadoxine + Pyrimethamine
The World Health Organisation created the prequalification programme in 2001 to increase access to priority medicinal products that meet unified standards of acceptable quality, safety and efficacy, currently focusing on those medicines used, for treatment of diseases such as Malaria.
The
list of prequalified medicinal products is used principally
by United Nations agencies - including UNAIDS and UNICEF
- to guide their procurement decisions. But, the list
has become a vital tool for any agency or organization
involved in bulk purchasing of medicines, be this at country
level, or at international level, as demonstrated by the
Global Fund, to fight diseases such as malaria.
