Treatment of Malaria
Since the 1950s, there has been a relatively stable pool of antimalarial drugs. But within the last decade, the malaria parasite has adapted to many of these drugs, rendering them weak and ineffective. This increase in drug resistance brings more pressure to bear on the international community to find more robust treatments to fight new malaria strains.
One such treatment derives from the Artemisia plant, a herb that, until recently, was mainly harvested in China and Vietnam. Recent clinical data indicates that artemisinin-based combination therapy, or ACT, is hugely effective against new malaria strains, and virtually has no side effects. The drug is taken orally over the course of three days and very rapidly eliminates the parasite from the body, wiping out malaria’s flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and chills.
The most effective medicine now in Africa is a combination treatment of a rapid-acting artemisinin and another antimalarial drug. Evidence suggests that this medicine taken promptly can reduce malaria deaths by half and the chronic debilitation of persistent infections by even more.
A few years ago, at the behest of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Institute of Medicine convened an expert study committee to explore the economic landscape of antimalarial drugs, particularly ACTs. Published in July 2004, the final report is helping to galvanize additional policy discussion on how to rapidly produce and distribute artemisinin combination therapy.
USAID supported the safety studies for treating children with ACTs in Africa, and we are working to ensure the widespread availability of these lifesaving medicines. Right now, we are taking aggressive steps to work with the agriculture and pharmaceutical industry to address the current shortfalls in ACTs. At present, the worldwide supply of ACTs is far less than the demand.
We have partnered with agricultural concerns in East Africa to help farmers grow Artemisia annua, the plant upon which ACTs are based. We are also working with several pharmaceutical companies to help them meet WHO standards for producing ACTs.
USAID Issue Briefs
President's Malaria Initiative (PMI)
- PMI Website
- PMI Fact Sheet
- President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) E-Newsletter
This e-newsletter provides readers with the latest PMI news, country-specific activities, plus Q&A with Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer, U.S. Malaria Coordinator.
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