New anti-malaria drug developed

BBC, DUNDEE: Researchers at Dundee University in Britain have discovered a new compound which could treat malaria while protecting people from the disease and preventing its spread, all in a single dose. The compound, DDD107498, was developed by the university's Drug Discovery Unit and the Medicines for Malaria Venture. Scientists said the new drug could work well against parasites resistant to current treatments. The World Health Organisation reported 200 million clinical cases of malaria in 2013, with 584,000 people dying from the mosquito-borne disease, most of them pregnant women or children under five. Concerns have been growing about strains of malaria which are resistant to current treatments, which have already appeared on the Myanmar-India border.
Dr Kevin Read, joint leader of the project, said new drugs were "urgently needed". "Resistance to the current gold-standard anti-malarial drug is now considered a real threat,” he said on Wednesday.
"The compound we have discovered works in a different way to all other anti-malarial medicines on the market or in clinical development, which means that it has great potential to work against current drug-resistant parasites. It targets part of the machinery that makes proteins within the parasite that causes malaria," Dr Read said.
Dr David Reddy, CEO of MMV, added: "DDD107498 is an exciting compound since it holds the promise to not only treat but also protect these vulnerable populations."
The compound is now undergoing safety testing through MMV, with a view to entering human clinical trials within the next year.

New anti-malaria drug developed

BBC, DUNDEE: Researchers at Dundee University in Britain have discovered a new compound which could treat malaria while protecting people from the disease and preventing its spread, all in a single dose. The compound, DDD107498, was developed by the universitys Drug Discovery Unit and the Medicines for Malaria Venture. Scientists said the new drug could work well against parasites resistant to current treatments. The World Health Organisation reported 200 million clinical cases of malaria in 2013, with 584,000 people dying from the mosquito-borne disease, most of them pregnant women or children under five. Concerns have been growing about strains of malaria which are resistant to current treatments, which have already appeared on the Myanmar-India border. Dr Kevin Read, joint leader of the project, said new drugs were urgently needed. Resistance to the current gold-standard anti-malarial drug is now considered a real threat, he said on Wednesday. The compound we have discovered works in a different way to all other anti-malarial medicines on the market or in clinical development, which means that it has great potential to work against current drug-resistant parasites. It targets part of the machinery that makes proteins within the parasite that causes malaria, Dr Read said. Dr David Reddy, CEO of MMV, added: DDD107498 is an exciting compound since it holds the promise to not only treat but also protect these vulnerable populations. The compound is now undergoing safety testing through MMV, with a view to entering human clinical trials within the next year.