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A new drug to treat malaria has received approval from US authorities
The drug is specifically for the recurrent form of malaria – caused by Plasmodium vivax – which causes the disease to 8.5 million of people.
This type of malaria is a particular challenge to eliminate because it can remain dormant in the liver for years before waking up several times.
Scientists have described tafenoquine as a "phenomenal success".
Regulators Worldwide, we will now examine the drug to see if it can recommend it to its people
Recurrent Disease
Recurrent Malaria is the most common type of malaria outside of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa
. at risk, have multiple bouts of malaria with a single bite, miss a lot of school and weaken each time they contract the disease.
And infected people can act as involuntary reservoirs of the disease An animal can transmit this parasite to someone else
This can make it difficult to eliminate anywhere in the world.
Now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has given the seal. approval for tafenoquine, a drug that can drive the parasite out of hiding in the liver and prevent people from receiving it again.
It can be taken with another medicine to treat immediate infection.
There are already drugs that can be used to get rid of hidden malaria in the liver called primaquine.
But unlike the single dose of tafenoquine needed, primaquine often has to be taken for 14 days.
Some experts are concerned that many people feel better after a few days and stop taking the pills, allowing the parasite to wake up at a later date.
Needed Attention
The FDA says the drug is effective and approved for use in the United States, but points out that there are important things
For example, people with an enzymatic problem, called G6PD deficiency, should not take the drug as it can cause severe anemia.
The regulatory body recommends that people undergo a deficiency test before is given – which can pose a problem in poor areas where malaria is common.
There is also concern that at higher doses this may be a problem for people with psychiatric illnesses.
But despite these caveats Professor Ric Price, of Oxford University, told the BBC: "The ability to get rid of the parasite in the liver with a single dose of tafenoquine is a phenomenal achievement and in my mind, it represents one of the most significant advances in the treatment of malaria over the past 60 years. "
Dr. Hal Barron, President of Research and Development at GSK" In collaboration with our partner, Medicines for Malaria Venture, we believe that Krintafel will be an important drug for malaria patients and contribute to the fight against malaria. "
Tafenonquin has existed since the 1970s but, in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria, GSK has reoriented the drug so that it can be used to rid itself of malaria parasites in the liver.
The next step will be to evaluate the drug by regulators in countries where this form of malaria is a major problem.
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