Plumpynut

Plumpynut revolutionized the treatment of acutely malnourished children.  In Haiti, Partners in Health (PIH) has produced a local variant, Nourimamba, since 2007.  The Abbot pharmaceutical company is working closely with PIH to further improve Nourimamba and to expand production.  The opening of a factory is scheduled for end 2012.  This is good news for malnourished children, the health care providers who treat them, and the farmers who produce the ingredients for Nourimamba.  An article by New York Times writer Duff Wilson on the PIH/Abbot partnership follows.  

Plumpynut, a peanut based paste, has revolutionalized the way in which severely malnourished children around the world are treated.  Many young lives have been saved as a result.  There is now increasing attention on how Plumpynut variants can prevent children from becoming malnourished in the first place.  In Haiti, both Meds and Food for Kids (MFK) and Partners in Health (PIH) produce products similar to Plumpynut.  In the below New York Times article, Andrew Rice describes the promise, politics, and profitability of Plumpynut.  Considering the negative impact that malnutrition has on the health and cognitive development of children in Haiti, it is well worth a read.