New medicines to combat malaria: An overview of the global pipeline of therapeutics

Wells, Timothy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3618-0595 2012. New medicines to combat malaria: An overview of the global pipeline of therapeutics. Staines, Henry M. and Krishna, Sanjeev, eds. Treatment and Prevention of Malaria: Antimalarial Drug Chemistry, Action and Use, Milestones in Drug Therapy, Springer, pp. 227-247. (10.1007/978-3-0346-0480-2_12)

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Abstract

Over the last 5 years, there has been an increased investment in malaria medicines, with the emergence of a range of new fixed dose artemisinin combination therapies (FACTs). Of the six FACTS, two are now approved and prequalified by the WHO, with another two submitted for stringent regulator approval. Malaria treatments are therefore available to more than 160 million patients, which cure the disease in more than 98% of cases, with 3 days of therapy, and cost as little as $0.30 per treatment for infants. Molecules currently in the pipeline offer the possibility that this could be replaced by a single dose cure in the next few years. Many new compounds have entered the pipeline as a result of advances in phenotypic screening and new targets identified from the parasite genomes. Artemisinin resistance has been confirmed in Cambodia, and new classes of medicines will be needed in case artemisinin resistance spreads. The recent call for the eradication of malaria has set new objectives for the drug discovery and development field. There is an additional focus on having compounds, which can block transmission. In addition, safe medicines to kill liver stages, and block the relapse of P. vivax and P. ovale are needed, which are more convenient than the 14-day primaquine treatment, and better tolerated in G6PD-deficient patients. The next decade will be a defining one, as we implement new generations of therapies in the field, and bring forward the ones needed for the next stages of malaria eradication.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Biosciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QR Microbiology > QR355 Virology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Publisher:	Springer
ISBN:	9783034604796
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2026 09:03
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/41726

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