§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the United Kingdom will give developing countries to enact the World Health Organisation's recommendation that artemisinin-based combination therapy should be used in malaria outbreaks to prevent the disease developing further resistance to treatment. [149219]
§ Hilary BennArtemisinin (or Artesunate) is a naturally occurring substance that has been used in China in the treatment of malaria for a long period of time. It can be used by itself, but is more useful when combined with other effective anti-malarials as it enhances their useful life by decreasing the possibility of drug resistance. The World Health Organisation and Roll Back Malaria recommend the use of combined therapies as the first option wherever possible.
The Department for International Development has committed £48 million to Roll Back Malaria (RBM) over a four and a half year period (September 1999—March 2004). RBM provides coordinated support for sustainable action against malaria. This includes providing technical support to Governments to ensure that their anti-malarial drug policies enable those suffering from malaria to get early treatment and to access affordable and appropriate medicines. Their advice covers the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies. As an active partner of RBM, my Department works to ensure that RBM provides sound evidence based support for the effective use of resources, including those available from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to which we have committed a total of US$280 million.
DFID has also engaged more directly in partnerships with industry to transform research into drugs. We recently worked with GlaxoSmithKline, the WHO programme on Tropical Diseases Research and Liverpool University in the development of a cheap new drug called LAPDAP. In order to make the best use of LAPDAP, further research to combine it with artemisinin is being undertaken, managed under an umbrella organisation called the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), which DFID also supports. MMV has a portfolio of projects, which include the development of a number of artemisinin-based combination therapies using a variety of drugs. DFID is funding MMV with £1 million per year for five years. Since its inception in 1999 MMV has demonstrated significant progress towards reaching its objective of two new drugs in the next 10 years.
Artemisinin-based therapies are, like many new treatments, relatively expensive. This highlights the need for the UK Government to work with others to reduce the cost of effective new drugs. The Prime Minister's high-level Working Group on Increasing Access to Essential Medicines in the Developing World recommended differential pricing of essential medicines for the developing world. My Department is working with other Government Departments to secure greater 1300W international commitment to affordable pricing. The Government worked with G8 colleagues at last year's Evian summit to secure commitment to action on this issue in line with the Working Group's recommendations.