New Mode of Action Malaria Control Product SumiShield^TM 50WG Receives WHO Prequalification

Nov. 6, 2017

Sumitomo Chemical today announced that its new malaria control product SumiShield^TM 50WG has received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO). SumiShield^TM 50WG is used as an Indoor Residual Spray (IRS*¹), one of the interventions recommended by WHO to control malaria. SumiShield^TM 50WG is the first malaria control insecticide to be listed under WHO’s Prequalification (PQ) system*², WHO’s new product evaluation scheme for vector control products, and is scheduled to be supplied to African and other malaria-endemic countries through international funds and other partners from 2018.

Malaria is a disease transmitted to human beings by Anopheles mosquitoes infected by malaria parasites, with more than 200 million cases reported and approximately 430,000 lives claimed on a yearly basis. Despite the world witnessing substantial declines in malaria cases as a result of adopting interventions such as IRS and the widespread use of Sumitomo Chemical’s Olyset^® Net and other long-lasting insecticidal nets, emergence of mosquitoes possessing resistance to conventional insecticides has been confirmed in some regions, particularly sub-Saharan nations.

With SumiShield^TM 50WG containing an active ingredient with a different mode of action compared to conventional active ingredients recommended by WHO during the last forty years for use in IRS, its high efficacy against mosquitoes with resistance to conventional insecticides has been confirmed. Study results of SumiShield^TM 50WG show efficacy for up to 8 months. This has caused international institutions, national health authorities and other partners to harbor expectations that SumiShield^TM 50WG will be an effective means of malaria prevention.

Sumitomo Chemical has constantly engaged in technical development and business deployment of various vector control tools, including long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets, Olyset^® Net*³ and Olyset^® Plus*³ for malaria control, and the resin-based long-lasting larvicide Sumilarv^® 2MR*³ for Dengue and Zika control. The addition of SumiShield^TM 50WG to this portfolio of products will allow Sumitomo Chemical to step up efforts further towards promoting and delivering more effective prevention of vector-borne diseases.

1. IRS for malaria control performs as insect killer when mosquitoes come into contact with insecticide sprayed onto walls. It is one of the WHO-recommended malaria-prevention tools taking advantage of the mosquito’s behavioral patterns.
2. Quality, efficacy and safety of products are assessed by higher standards compared to the prior system. In addition to pharmaceutical products and others already evaluated under PQ, the system is now applied to vector-control products.
3. WHO recommendation received.

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