Optimilk F-60

Identification of the need

In 2023, more than 36 million children under the age of five were affected by acute malnutrition in 32 countries.
Undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths in this age group.

These deaths are not inevitable. They are the result of a convergence of crises: prolonged conflicts, droughts, population displacement, the collapse of international funding, as well as limited access to appropriate therapeutic foods and effective treatment protocols.

This situation places increasing pressure on already fragile healthcare systems, while available resources continue to decline.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is currently observing an unprecedented rise in admissions for severe malnutrition: over the past four years, nutritional programmes run by MSF France have tripled in scale. This strain is particularly severe in Niger, northern Nigeria, and South Sudan.

Yet despite the surge in needs, therapeutic nutrition has remained largely unchanged for the past 20 years. The sector suffers from a major lack of investment in research and development.

This is why the MSF Foundation has made the strategic choice to invest in nutritional innovation, in order to strengthen care capacity where the needs are currently most urgent.

From an initial therapeutic revolution to its limits

In the early 2000s, the introduction of ready‑to‑use therapeutic foods (RUTFs), such as Plumpy’Nut®, transformed the management of acute malnutrition by allowing children to continue treatment at home.

However, for the most severe forms with complications, hospitalization remains essential.
The first phase of treatment has relied since the 1980s on a therapeutic milk known as F‑75. Today, it is clear that F‑75 does not reflect the most up‑to‑date scientific knowledge.

This observation led to the creation of the Optimilk F‑60 project. Initiated by MSF nutrition specialists together with researchers from icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh)—one of the world’s leading centres for clinical research on childhood malnutrition—the project aims to rethink the existing treatment in order to better meet children’s needs and optimize the stabilization phase.

The MSF Foundation’s response

In collaboration with MSF teams, the MSF Foundation has decided to support and coordinate this effort to redesign the F‑75 therapeutic milk through a new formulation: F‑60.

This formula is based on recent advances in the physiology of metabolic stabilization in children suffering from kwashiorkor and severe marasmus.

In 2026, the MSF Foundation fully funds the Optimilk F‑60 project and supports icddr,b in the implementation of a Phase 1 clinical trial—an essential first step to assess the safety and tolerability of this new formula in children hospitalized for severe acute malnutrition. This phase, estimated to last 12 to 15 months, is a necessary prerequisite before proceeding to a larger‑scale efficacy study.

At the same time, the MSF Foundation mobilizes its expertise in multi‑partner project management to act as a focal point with icddr,b and to support MSF and Epicentre in preparing, from now on, the operational conditions required to evaluate the effectiveness of F‑60 in MSF hospitals, so that results can be rapidly translated into clinical practice.

The project’s expected objectives are clear: to reduce mortality, shorten hospital stays, and improve the overall quality of care for malnourished children.