A groundbreaking malaria treatment designed specifically for newborns and small infants has been approved for the first time.

The medicine, called Coartem Baby (or Riamet Baby in some regions), is intended for use in babies weighing between two kilograms and five kilograms (4.4 to 11 pounds), a group previously excluded from approved antimalarial therapies.

Developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and the non-profit Medicines for Malaria Venture, the treatment has been authorised by Swissmedic, Switzerland’s medicines regulator. It dissolves easily, even in breast milk, and is cherry-flavoured to assist with administration.

Infants in malaria-endemic regions have long faced a treatment gap, often being given medication designed for older children, which poses risks of overdose and poor efficacy. The new formulation addresses this vulnerability directly.

Eight African nations, including Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, are expected to follow suit with fast-track approval processes.

“This is a drug that can be mixed with breast milk, which is brilliant and much easier to deliver,” Dr Bhargavi Rao of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told an international publication on Thursday, 10 July.

Novartis says the medicine will be made available on a largely not-for-profit basis in areas where malaria remains a major health threat.

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