Artesunate (AS) and mefloquine (MQ) is a new fixed dose combination to be effective in the field.

• The WHO has recommended the use of this artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for uncomplicated P.falciparum malaria in Asia and Latin America.
• A simple regimen for children and adults is as easy as 1-2-3, requiring only once-daily administration of 1 or 2 tablets, according to age, over 3 days.
• Packaging is adapted for easy use and permits the longest shelf life (3 years) of any fixed dose combination for malaria under a tropical climate.
• Availability as a public good is guaranteed at a target price of USD 2.5 for the full adult treatment.
• The combination of AS and MQ has been used in the field for 16 years and thus shown to be highly effective in multi-drug resistant areas.
• Preliminary results at 1 year in a large ongoing intervention study in the Amazon Basin showed a 70% drop in reported cases.
• Brazil's Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz has agreed to the principle of South-South technology transfer to India's Cipla.
• Development cost for DNDi is EUR 7.8 million, funded by EU, French, Spanish, Netherlands and UK government grants as well as by MSF, with an important in-kind contribution from Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz and others.
• As of April 2008, the treatment is available in Brazil and will be available in Latin America and South East Asia over the course of 2008 and 2009.