May 27, 2010
The Question
What can be done in sub-Saharan Africa to surpass high parasite resistance to the most commonly used antimalarial drugs?
What we found
Artemisinin drugs, used in Chinese medicine, are effective treating the most common parasite, P. falciparum. However, to prevent resistance buildup combination therapies should be used for treatment instead of single drugs. An immediate international subsidy of approximately $300 million for a few combination therapies, combining artemisinin with unrelated partner antimalarial drugs could alleviate the threat.
Why it matters
While medical advances have brought relief to other illnesses, there is a rising death toll of African children from malaria. The disease also imposes an economic burden and may reduce annual economic growth by up to 1.3%.
