Artemisinin News and Research

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Artemisinin is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. The compound (a sesquiterpene lactone) is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. Not all plants of this species contain artemisinin.

Research to focus on effective use of artemisinin stocks for malaria

The frontline malaria treatment artemisinin could soon be treating more people for less cost, thanks to a research collaboration between Bradford and Shanghai.

6 Oct 2010

U.N. MDGs summit concludes with 'outcome document'

The three-day U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ended Wednesday with world leaders "adopting a declaration agreed [to] earlier this month, which promised intensified efforts by the 192 U.N. member states to achieve the world body's so-called Millennium Development Goals by 2015," Reuters reports (Worsnip/Wroughton, 9/22).

24 Sep 2010

Global Fund investigates allegations that donated malaria drugs were stolen, resold in some African countries

After recent research found that some donated malaria drugs are being stolen and sold commercially in several African countries, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Communications Director Joe Liden said the group is looking into the situation "in a number of countries," PBS' NewsHour's blog, "The Rundown" reports.

8 Sep 2010

Single-dose of experimental malaria drug clears parasites in mice, represents potential new class of drugs to treat malaria in humans

An experimental malaria drug was shown to effectively treat the disease in mice with only a single dose, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science, Reuters reports (Kelland, 9/2). The new drug, known as NITD609, "represents an entirely new class of medicines to treat malaria ... Human trials, backed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG, could begin later this year," the Wall Street Journal writes (Naik, 9/3).

4 Sep 2010

Researchers discover novel compound to combat drug resistant malaria

Novartis announced today that scientists at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), in collaboration with researchers from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a novel compound that shows promise as a next generation treatment for drug resistant malaria.

3 Sep 2010

MIT symposium at ACS National Meeting to familiarize future scientists with unfamiliar public policy

With laws, government regulations, and funding priorities continuing to exert a broad impact on science, a group of graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is holding a special symposium Aug. 23 during the American Chemical Society (ACS) 240th National Meeting and Exhibition here to familiarize future scientists with the unfamiliar realm of public policy.

24 Aug 2010

Liverpool scientists create new drug for malaria

As part of the -1.5 million project, researchers are now testing the drug to determine how the treatment could progress to clinical trials. The drug is made from simple organic molecules and will be cheaper to mass produce compared to existing therapies.

16 Aug 2010

Mathematical model projects potential impact of current tools fighting malaria in Africa

Current tools for combating malaria, such as artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and increasing coverage of long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) insecticide-treated bednets (ITN) "could dramatically reduce the burden of malignant malaria on parts of Africa if a comprehensive, sustained intervention programme were in place," according to a study published this week in PLoS Medicine, CORDIS News reports.

16 Aug 2010

Nature News examines how scientists, farmers are working to meet the growing demand for artemisinin

"From bust to boom to bust again: artemisinin, the key ingredient of front-line antimalarial drugs, is entering the third chapter of its turbulent history," Nature News writes in an article that examines the challenges scientists and farmers are facing as they attempt to keep up with the growing demand for the compound just as a "$343-million initiative starts to battle malaria through hugely subsidized medicines."

5 Aug 2010

Telormedix, Swiss TPH Institute collaborate to develop effective vaccines for Malaria, Buruli Ulcer

Telormedix, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using targeted immunity to treat cancer and other diseases, today announced the start of a collaboration with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) on a pilot study using Telormedix's adjuvant, TMX-201, in connection with immunization for Malaria and Buruli Ulcer.

3 Aug 2010

PFSCM wins Supply Chain Innovation Award, Best Value Supply Chain Provider Award

The Partnership for Supply Chain Management, a partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has won two prestigious awards for groundbreaking work on PEPFAR's Supply Chain Management System. PFSCM received the Supply Chain Innovation Award and Best Value Supply Chain Provider Award during the European Supply Chain and Logistics Summit held in Prague.

29 Jul 2010

Researcher to lead $14.5M project to fight malaria in Southeast Asia

A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will lead a seven-year, $14.5 million project to fight malaria in Southeast Asia. Liwang Cui, professor of entomology, is the principal investigator for the Southeast Asia Malaria Research Center, one of 10 International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research announced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

14 Jul 2010

Wall Street Journal essay examines historical efforts to control malaria

In a Wall Street Journal essay, Sonia Shah, the author of an upcoming book on malaria, outlines the historical efforts to control malaria - from the Roman Empire through today.

13 Jul 2010

Efficacy data of Caldolor Injection in treating fever associated with falciparum malaria published

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that data supporting the efficacy of Caldolor in treating fever associated with falciparum malaria was published in the July edition of the peer-reviewed American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The study, which is the first to document an antipyretic effect of an injectable non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug on fever caused by malaria, demonstrated that patients who received intravenous ibuprofen experienced a greater reduction in their temperatures than those who received placebo.

13 Jul 2010

U.S., China open Shanghai Epidemiology Center for chronic, epidemic diseases

Chinese and U.S. health officials opened an epidemiology center in Shanghai Tuesday to train experts to deal with and prevent chronic and epidemic diseases, the Associated Press reports.

30 Jun 2010

Efforts to contain drug-resistant malaria near Thai-Cambodian border appear to be working, officials say

A two-year effort aimed at preventing the emergence of drug-resistant malaria near the border between Cambodia and Thailand is showing signs of success, Duong Socheat, head of Cambodia's National Center for Malaria Control, said on Friday, DPA/Earth Times reports.

29 Jun 2010

Drug-resistant malaria spreading beyond Western Cambodia, U.S. malaria coordinator says

Resistance to artemisinin-based malaria medications seems to be spreading beyond western Cambodia, where it was first detected, U.S. global malaria coordinator Timothy Ziemer said during a visit to the region this week for a conference, Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Jun 2010

GSK, EMBL-EBI, NLM and CDD collaborate to apply principles of open source to drug discovery for malaria

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had teamed up with leading public-domain data providers European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the U.S.-based informatics service provider Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD) to make freely available key scientific information on more than 13,500 compounds that could ultimately lead to new treatments for malaria.

20 May 2010

BMJ News examines how drug resistance, access undermine malaria fight in Uganda, Cambodia

BMJ News looks at how lack of access to drugs and resistance are undermining the fight against malaria.

19 May 2010

Science special issue reports on Malaria

This week's issue of Science features news articles focusing on recent progress on malaria control in Africa and discussing future challenges, including drug resistance.

15 May 2010