Researchers urge immediate policy change as drug-resistant malaria spreads

The efficacy of artemisinin derivatives, the cornerstone of current treatments for malaria, is being compromised in Africa where over 1,000 children are estimated to die each day from the disease. The spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites across East Africa and beyond could result in millions more deaths without immediate health policy changes, warn experts in a paper published in Science.

“Combining an artemisinin derivative drug with two partner drugs in triple artemisinin combination therapies (TACTs) is the simplest, most affordable, readily implementable, and sustainable approach to counter artemisinin resistance,” said Dr Dhorda, who is the first author on the paper. 

Find out more on the MORU website.