Bayer parners up with Goodbye Malaria to end malaria

Bayer has partnered up with Goodbye Malaria to support the objectives of Ending Malaria for Good in Southern Africa.

An initiative created and managed by African entrepreneurs, Goodbye Malaria has been raising funds for the past 4 years to deploy vector-control interventions for preventing malaria cases in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland and works closely with the National Malaria Control Programs in those countries to ensure optimum impact, Bayer said in its press release.

“We are excited to collaborate with Bayer to expand our malaria control programs as we share the common belief that malaria elimination is possible thanks to vector-control solutions,” comments Sherwin Charles, Goodbye Malaria co-founder. “In gathering local as well as international, public and private partners around this common objective we expect to accelerate its fulfilment and End Malaria for Good”.

Goodbye Malaria’s philosophy and engagement resonates with the commitment of Bayer towards malaria elimination and the company mission of Science For A Better Life. Bayer has been involved in the development and supply of effective vector control solutions for more than 60 years, including core interventions such as indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting net insecticides used in the fight against malaria.

In line with the WHO call for harnessing innovation, Bayer continues to invest in the development of new vector-control solutions, specifically targeting the challenge of insecticide resistance. The most recent development, Fludora Fusion, is the first two-way combination product for IRS, which also introduces a new mode of action. Submitted to the WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) in October 2015, Bayer expects to have it available for use later in 2018.

“The management of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors relies largely on the implementation of IRS. Therefore, our partnership with Goodbye Malaria is particularly important. As Bayer continues to develop new tools to support the goal of ‘Ending Malaria for Good’, we can gain crucial insights from implementation challenges associated with IRS through this alliance,” adds Justin McBeath, Market Segment Manager Malaria Vector Control at Bayer.

Bayer said that the figures published in the 2016 WHO malaria report, with malaria cases falling by 21 percent between 2010 and 2015 and malaria death rates falling by 29 percent over the same period, provide encouragement for more action to accelerate malaria elimination. In the last 15 years, vector-control has been responsible for preventing almost 80 percent of the total cases averted in Africa and vector-control is thus key to reaching the goals of malaria elimination.