Novartis and Malaria No More help fulfill malaria treatment goal in Zambia by raising funds for three million treatments through Power of One

Novartis (http://www.novartis.com) announced today that, through Power of One, enough funds have been raised to deliver three million antimalarial treatments for children in Zambia. Launched in September 2013, Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign is supported by Novartis as the exclusive treatment sponsor.

Although preventable and treatable, malaria still kills a child every minute¹. Support for Power of One reflects the Novartis commitment to help accelerate progress toward malaria elimination. Every dollar donated to the campaign buys and delivers a treatment for a child with malaria in Africa. Using social, mobile, and e-commerce technologies, donors can see the impact of their donation on the ground, share the experience with their networks and recruit other donors.

“Power of One is a natural extension of our company’s commitment to the fight against malaria and I am very proud of the contributions Novartis associates have made to help children in Zambia,” said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “Over the past decade, we have delivered 700 million antimalarial treatments without profit in malaria-endemic countries but more work is needed. We need to continue to step up efforts, not only by increasing access to antimalarials but also by researching next-generation treatments to move closer to our vision of a malaria-free world.”

The Novartis Malaria Initiative (http://www.malaria.novartis.com) has pledged to match up to 1 million treatments funded by the public every year through 2015, doubling the impact of Power of One donations. Novartis Group company associates from 42 countries also rallied behind Power of One to support the company’s goal to eliminate malaria. During the past 12 months, several creative efforts have enabled associates to raise enough money to fund close to 500,000 treatments. Activities included a brand-related cause marketing campaign led by the Over-the-Counter business in Switzerland, participation in the Global Corporate Challenge® through the company’s Be Healthy well-being program and a global internal fundraising competition.

“After only a year, thanks to the generosity of the global public and Novartis associates, we have been able to meet our goal of raising three million treatments for children in Zambia,” said Martin Edlund, CEO, Malaria No More. “This is a great achievement but we need to continue the fight and help ensure no child dies from malaria due to lack of a one dollar treatment.”

The initial focus country of Power of One was Zambia, the first African country to change its treatment guidelines from chloroquine to newer artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The campaign will now also benefit patients in Kenya, where 200,000 treatments have just been delivered, in an effort to help drive down malaria morbidity and mortality among children.

1. World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/