Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

26/04/2026

To end , we must ensure pregnant women aren’t left behind.

Though malaria affects one-third of pregnancies in moderate-to-high transmission areas of sub-Saharan Africa each year, critical access and treatment gaps persist.

This week, Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung (DSW) convened partners in Berlin for a event to discuss women’s health in the context of malaria elimination, and the work being done to help close these gaps.

During the event, MMV’s Maud Majeres Lugand, MSc, spoke about our Malaria in Mothers and Babies (MiMBa) strategy, which focuses on building the evidence base, accelerating innovation and ensuring medicines meet the needs of pregnant women.

From generating data on exposure to antimalarials in pregnancy to conducting Africa’s first-ever Phase 3 trial assessing the use of interventions in early pregnancy, MiMBa initiatives are central to our commitment to improving health outcomes for one of the most at-risk groups in malaria-endemic regions.

We’re grateful to partners like DSW, who share this commitment and support the work and innovations that are making an impact.

25/04/2026

British-backed science has helped build the antimalarial toolbox we rely on today. Sustained support can expand it with the that will get us closer to tomorrow.

This week in London, Malaria No More UK hosted a drop-in event to kick off its activities.

Parliamentarians were invited to explore some of the tools that have supported progress against , as well as innovations, like single-dose cures and long-acting injectables, that can help bring us closer to ending the disease.

25/04/2026

No single intervention will end .

That’s why MMV joined Geneva colleagues from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Unitaid and The Global Fund at the Global Health Campus this week, in the lead-up to , to showcase the expanded malaria toolbox, and the powerful synergies between our approaches.

From prevention to diagnosis to treatment, progress depends on how well our tools work together, and how strong our partnerships are.

During the exhibition, colleagues from across the Campus engaged with technical experts to explore lessons from the history of malaria control, reflect on how far we’ve come, and discover the new innovations that are moving us closer to elimination.

Because it’s not one tool, but many, delivered in partnership, that will help end malaria for good.

25/04/2026

We can end malaria. Not someday, but in our lifetime.

For the first time, that goal feels within reach. New malaria tools, including pioneering approaches like single-dose cures and long-acting injectables, are in development. Countries are already rolling out new medicines and and scaling up next-generation mosquito nets.

National programmes are driving progress.

But doesn’t wait. When funding drops and programmes weaken, the disease resurges quickly, putting lives at risk and reversing gains.

The opportunity has never been greater. And neither has the cost of inaction.

This , the focus is clear: protect progress and invest in what comes next.

24/04/2026

Big news for the world’s smallest malaria patients. Coartem® Baby, the first malaria treatment specifically designed for newborns and young infants, has received WHO prequalification.

In Ghana, babies like Wonder (pictured below) are already receiving this treatment. At 12 weeks old, he was brought to hospital with and received this medicine. With WHO prequalification, more newborns like him could soon have access to treatment designed specifically for them.

Authorized last year by Swissmedic and Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority, this latest milestone paves the way for broader access through public health systems.

Coartem® Baby (also known as Riamet® Baby in some countries) was developed through an MMV and Novartis collaboration, as part of the PAMAfrica consortium, co-funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
By including newborns and young infants in clinical research, this work has helped generate the evidence needed to develop treatments specifically for them, and expand what malaria care can look like.

Read the press release: bit.ly/48AE1ZR

23/04/2026

🤍 White for health
💚 Green for prevention and awareness

Today, MMV staff are colour-coordinated to mark .

A few of us gathered for this photo, representing a much larger team working behind the scenes. Others are attending events around the world to mark the day, strengthen , and keep this deadly disease high on the global health agenda.

We know this fight can be won, and we won’t stop until it is. By continuing to work together across the global health community, and keeping patients at the heart of everything we do, we move closer to .

23/04/2026

Brazil has become the first country to roll out paediatric tafenoquine, closing a critical treatment gap for children with relapsing vivax .

Co-developed by MMV and , this child-friendly, single-dose medicine makes completing treatment and preventing relapse easier.

For too long, the lack of a child-friendly radical cure (treating both the blood and liver stages of relapsing vivax malaria) has left young patients at risk of repeated illness that disrupts education, can have lasting effects on a child’s cognitive development and strains families, health systems and economies.

This rollout, which has started with the Yanomami, an Indigenous group living in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon, marks an important step forward and underscores the country’s leadership in malaria control and elimination.

In 2024, Brazil and Thailand became the first countries to introduce tafenoquine for adults to prevent relapse, following real-world feasibility studies. Extending this to children changes what’s possible in practice, making it easier to deliver radical cure in settings where relapsing malaria still accounts for a large share of the disease burden.

22/04/2026

Malaria is entirely preventable and treatable, yet it still takes lives every day.

MMV-supported medicines have treated or protected over 1 billion people since 1999.

That’s real impact.

But the fight is changing.
🔹 Drug resistance is rising
🔹 Climate change is a threat multiplier
🔹 Funding pressures are putting progress at risk

Now is the moment to innovate: simpler treatments, longer-acting prevention and staying ahead of drug resistance.

MMV is helping develop the next generation of tools to make this possible and to accelerate the path to elimination.

Every $1 invested in MMV’s malaria medicines delivers $13 in health benefits.

Now is a critical moment to act.
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21/04/2026

How can we get malaria elimination back on track amid the rising threat of antimalarial drug resistance?

Progress against has relied on treatments that are now under increasing pressure. As resistance emerges, the risk is not just slower progress, but a reversal of hard-won gains.

Ahead of World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization African Region hosted a webinar bringing together experts to share experiences and challenges in responding to antimalarial drug resistance, and chart a path forward.

MMV’s Senior Director of Medical Affairs, André Tchouatieu MD, joined a panel discussion highlighting the next generation of interventions MMV and partners are advancing through the pipeline, how they can help stay ahead of resistance, and why they must improve treatment adherence and prolong protection.

21/04/2026

“It’s time we have the first approved and accessible African-invented antimalarial,” said MMV CEO Martin Fitchet at last year’s World Health Summit in Berlin.

With the launch of Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh), this ambition can start taking shape.

Developed by MMV and deepmirror, the platform puts advanced drug discovery tools into the hands of researchers in endemic countries, helping expand who can contribute to the discovery of new treatments.

This accelerates progress and ensures that scientists closest to the burden of disease play a greater role in shaping the next generation of antimalarials.

Because where drug discovery happens, and who leads it, will pave the way for what comes next.

Read an article in Health Policy Watch to see how dd4gh can level the playing field for drug discovery: bit.ly/4mdsWmI

17/04/2026

Join MMV and partners at Women Deliver 2026 for a side event, “From Research to Rights: Advancing Women’s Health through Inclusive Innovation.”

The session will be moderated by Andrea Lucard, Vice Chair of Concept Foundation, and will bring together global voices to explore how to realign power, resources and incentives so innovations reflect women’s realities and support their right to health.

Speakers include:

Leyla Sharafi, Chief of Gender and Human Rights at UNFPA, on why investing in gender-inclusive innovation matters.
Maya Goldstein, Director of External Affairs & Gender Lead at Impact Global Health, on funding and pipeline gaps in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) R&D.
Meirinda Sebayang, Chair of the National Secretariat of the Positive Indonesia Network, on community mobilization for SRH research and access.
Katya Halil, Associate Director of Advocacy at MMV, on including pregnant and lactating women in clinical research through the PDP model.
Pamela Toliman, Senior Research Fellow at Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, on strengthening women’s representation in science.
Kaitlin Christenson, Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, on funding models that shift power for equitable R&D.

📅 Wednesday, 29 April 2026
🕘 18:00–19:30 AEST
📍 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Melbourne, Australia [Meeting Room 209, Level 2]

*In-person only, open to Women Deliver conference attendees

Pre-registration is essential — register here: bit.ly/4sqN7iR

Also, stop by our booth in the Exhibition Space throughout the conference from 27–30 April 2026.

16/04/2026

A recent Malaria No More report examines the U.S. Department of Defense’s prevention strategy, highlighting gaps driven by resistance, adherence challenges and operational constraints.

These are the same challenges shaping the fight against malaria more broadly across endemic regions.

Investments in malaria tools for force protection have historically delivered wider public health benefits, from new treatments to improved diagnostics. With the need for next-generation tools becoming more critical, this connection remains just as important.

One such innovation highlighted in the report is a long-acting injectable formulation of the antimalarial MMV371, which just completed a first-in-human clinical trial. By providing sustained protection with a single dose, it has the potential to address adherence challenges in operational settings while also expanding options for malaria control in endemic regions.

Read the report:

Malaria remains a persistent and evolving threat to U.S. military readiness, operational effectiveness, and mission success. As U.S. forces deploy to endemic regions, growing insecticide and drug resistance is steadily undermining the effectiveness of existing prevention and control measures, creati...