The Kenya Pediatric Association (KPA), in collaboration with Ethypharm, has launched a vital medical commodity aimed at bolstering infant healthcare.
Speaking during the 23rd Annual KPA Scientific Conference at the Pride Inn Paradise Resort, Shanzu, Rob Brutchet, General Manager of Ethypharm, said that Across Africa, many areas of mortality have improved but infant mortality has not.
He emphasized that the latest guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) advocate for the utilization of caffeine citrate to mitigate infant mortality, adding the partnership will ensure that the country can produce remedies towards improving healthcare outcomes.
He said the new product Known as ‘Caffeine Citrate’ plays a crucial role in the treatment of Apnoea of prematurity, a condition characterized by episodes where premature infants cease breathing for durations exceeding 20 seconds or exhibit bradycardia, accompanied by diminished oxygen saturation level.
Brutchet said likelihood of Apnoea of prematurity increases proportionally with the degree of prematurity in infants as it stems from the immaturity of the brain adding while factors like infections, and temperature problems can result in apnoea, newborns who develop this condition are at risk for complications and death.
This comes after Kenya, last year, launched the national guideline on the management of Apnoea of Prematurity across the country. The guideline is geared at enabling healthcare workers to effectively prevent and treat apnoea of prematurity using caffeine citrate, as well as use Bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and monitor oxygen levels using pulse oximetry.
“Newborns do not have people to fight for them and at times they are forgotten just because we don’t raise concern about what they encounter; hence, as an institution, we are here to give a solution to the needs raised by the practitioners in management of newborn ailments,” said Kirklin Mwagilu, Key Accounts Manager, Ethypharm.
Ethypharm is a dynamic European pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes, with a strong focus on two core areas, including the central nervous system and hospital injectables.
Furthermore, Kirklin highlighted the product’s accessibility in the market, noting a significant 70 percent reduction from its original price. Consequently, the commodity now retails at Sh450 each, compared to the previous price of over Sh1500
“We as an institution provided the product before but it had challenges with availability and affordability hence we decided to pass on a market access price of the commodity to the government since at least 80 percent of the newborns are normally in a government setup,” said Kirklin.
However, as much as caffeine citrate is expected to be a game changer as it has various beneficial effects including fewer ventilator days, reduced incidence of Broncho pulmonary dysplasia, and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes. The drug also has a side effect upon consumption including increased heart rate if administered at an excessive dose considering the drug itself is a stimulant.
Nevertheless, Kirklin noted that the drug has had success stories at a few referral hospitals in the country, including the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, as they recorded a drastic drop of infant mortality upon usage.
“We have seen the benefit of caffeine citrate in these hospitals. Previously, they used to lose newborns but as soon as the product got into these institutions, the mortality rate of newborns drastically dropped as they were able to save lives with a simple administration of caffeine citrate,” he added.
By Fatma Said and Nuru Soud
