Malaria is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to humans primarily through mosquito bites. It affects hundreds of millions of people and causes nearly 600,000 deaths annually, the majority of which occur in children under five. Malaria is currently treated with medications based on the plant compound artemisinin, but patients often develop resistance to it.
A new drug, GanLum, may solve current problems. Scientists presented the results of a study involving nearly 1,700 adults and children from 12 African countries. It was found that GanLum was able to kill the Plasmodium pathogen with a resistance mutation in approximately 47 hours, according to Nature. In comparison, standard treatment was effective in approximately 71 hours. GanLum cured 97.4% of participants, outperforming an existing artemisinin-based drug with a 94% cure rate.
Furthermore, the drug can more effectively block transmission by killing the parasite in its sexual stage, when it can infect other mosquitoes. "This is a huge added bonus," the scientists said.
Novartis has already submitted an application for approval of the drug and expects to make it available to patients within 12-18 months. GanLum is expected to be used not only in countries with high rates of artemisinin resistance but also as part of a strategy using multiple first-line drugs to slow the development of resistance.
Meanwhile, other scientists have previously reported success with an mRNA malaria vaccine that blocked the spread of the infection with over 99% effectiveness.
