A One-Stop Novel Drug for Malaria Treatment and Control

Manoswini Dash , Aparup Das

Abstract

Like many tropical diseases, malaria poses great threat to mankind in the under developed and developing countries. Control of malaria majorly depends on early diagnosis and thereafter effective treatment by antimalarials. However, malaria treatment is severely hampered by evolution and spread of drug-resistant malaria parasites, including the currently used drug artemisinin. Malaria control programs therefore need an antimalarial that can not only promptly kill the parasites with minimal side effect to humans, but also is affordable by the community and the chance of evolution of resistance is minimal. A wonder drug (named DDD107498) that can bear all the above properties has recently been developed and about to enter human clinical trial. Among other properties, (i) Effect on multiple species of malaria parasites at several life cycle stages (ii) Single dose effectiveness, (iii) Good pharmacokinetic properties and (iv) Low risk of parasite transmission due to active gametocyte clearance make the compound a perfect new-generation antimalarial.