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Novartis cuts cost of malaria drug Coartem by 20 percent price
(Associated Press WorldStream Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BASEL, Switzerland_Swiss drug maker Novartis says it is lowering the public-sector price of its antimalarial drug Coartem by 20 percent.
The Basel-based company says the price reduction to US$0.80 (?0.50) from US$1 (?0.63) will make the treatment more widely available.
The move takes effect on April 25, the World Malaria Day.
The company says in a statement released Wednesday that the price cut was made possible thanks to more efficient production methods.
The Novartis treatment has a cure rate of up to 95 percent even in areas of multi-drug resistance.
Malaria kills about 1 million people a year with most deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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