Two and a Half Decades in the Making

After screening 2.3 million molecules, researchers found it. On November 12, Novartis and Medicines for Malaria Venture announced results that could transform the fight against malaria. Their new drug, GanLum, achieved a 97.4% cure rate in a Phase III trial involving 1,688 adults and children across 34 sites in 12 African countries.

The current standard of care achieved 94% in the same trial. If approved by regulatory authorities, GanLum would become the first major innovation in malaria treatment since artemisinin-based therapies were introduced more than 25 years ago.

A New Weapon

The drug combines ganaplacide, a novel compound with an entirely new mechanism of action, with a new formulation of lumefantrine, an existing antimalarial. Patients take GanLum once daily for three days as a sachet of granules.

Dr. Abdoulaye Djimdé, Professor of Parasitology and Mycology at the University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali, called it potentially “the biggest advance in malaria treatment for decades.”

Racing Against Resistance

The timing is critical. Drug-resistant strains of malaria have been emerging in Africa, raising urgent concerns about current treatments. GanLum showed high efficacy against mutant malaria parasites associated with partial drug resistance. The treatment also demonstrated rapid response against mature gametocytes, the stage responsible for transmission, meaning it could help prevent the spread of the disease.

Malaria causes nearly 600,000 deaths each year, with most victims being children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. Novartis plans to seek regulatory approval as soon as possible, with the drug potentially available within 12 to 18 months.

THE HEART OF IT: Behind every medical breakthrough are researchers who refused to give up, even when searching through millions of molecules for the right one. Behind the statistics are families who’ve lost children to a preventable disease. Malaria has been killing people for millennia, but human ingenuity keeps finding new ways to fight back. GanLum represents more than just a new drug. It’s a reminder that science, collaboration, and determination can still outsmart nature’s deadliest challenges. For the 600,000 families who lose someone to malaria each year, this breakthrough offers something they desperately need: hope that fewer families will suffer the same loss.

SOURCE: Novartis, “Novartis Phase III trial for next-generation malaria treatment KLU156 (GanLum) meets primary endpoint,” November 12, 2025
URL: https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-phase-iii-trial-next-generation-malaria-treatment-klu156-ganlum-meets-primary-endpoint-potential-combat-antimalarial-resistance