Malaria drug costs to be cut by Tanzania's govt

The cost of first line malaria drug in Tanzania, Allu, will be lowered to 400 shillings ($0.30) per dose, the nation's government has announced. This is after the decision to allow private sector players to import the drug, reports the local newspaper The Citizen.

Minister for Health and Social Welfare David Mwakyusa revealed this at the weekend when launching 'United Against Malaria' campaign in Tanzania. Prof Mwakyusa conceded that the current price of between 14,000 shillings ($10.50) and 18,000 shillings per dose was too high for majority of Tanzanians to afford.

According to the Minister, from June next year private sector players, through a special arrangement known as AMFM, will be allowed to import the drug at lower cost.

"This means that all patients who will be treated in private health facilities will have to pay not more than 400 shillings for a dose of Allu," he said. Prof Mwakyusa said the move would contribute immensely in reducing malaria prevalence in the country as most people would afford the drug.

He noted that the drug was very effective in curing malaria but the problem had been its exorbitant price and circulation as it could be found in government health facilities only. He said it was estimated that 16 to 18 million people get malaria each year. Of these cases around 80,000 die annually, most of them being children under five years and pregnant mothers.

According to the Minister, the disease is estimated to consume 3.4% of annual gross domestic product (GDP) that is about $240 million a year through reduced productivity in the workforce, absenteeism from school and work and the direct and indirect costs of treatment or deaths, the newspaper noted.