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United States (© 2018 Afriquinfos) – The drug is specifically for the recurrent form of malaria – caused by Plasmodium vivax – which renders 8.5 million people sick each year.
This type of malaria remains a challenge for the scientific community with regard to its eradication.
The reason is that it can remain dormant in the liver for years before rendering the subject sick several times.
Scientists have described Tafenoquine as a "phenomenal breakthrough."
Regulators around the world will now look at the drug to see if they can recommend it for their populations.
The recurrent or recurrent form of malaria is the most common type of malaria outside sub-Saharan Africa
Children can be particularly at risk and have multiple malaria attacks just because of
It is a cause of school absenteeism and weakens the patient each time when it is triggered.
The infected persons become involuntary reservoirs of the disease, because when the parasite awakens in its body, a mosquito can transmit this parasite to someone else.
This form of transmission makes this form of malaria difficult to eliminate worldwide.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the States Has given its approval to Tafenoquine, a drug that "flushes" the parasite from its hiding place in the liver and prevents carriers from running the risk of becoming ill again.
This new molecule may be taken with another medicine to treat the infection.
There is already a drug that can be used to get rid of hidden malaria in the liver called Primaquine.
But contrai At 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 waking up later.
Needed Attention
FDA claims drug is effective and approves for use in US, but points out there are significant side effects
For example, people with an enzymatic problem, called G6PD deficiency, should not take this medicine because it can cause severe anemia.
Regulatory body advises people to suffer a deficiency test before taking this medicine, which may be a problem in the poorest areas where malaria is common.
Tafenoquine may be a
It is also feared that at higher doses this may be a problem for people with psychiatric illnesses.
Despite these warnings, there is hope that the drug, combined with mosquito nets and other precautions, will help reduce the rate of vivax malaria infection worldwide.
The ability to get rid of the parasite in the liver with a single dose of Tafenoquine is a phenomenal success and in my mind, it represents one of the most significant advances in malaria treatment in the last 60 years.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hal Barron, President of Research and Development at GSK, the company that makes the drug, said it was an important step for people living with this type of recurrent malaria.
"In collaboration with With our partner, Medicines for Malaria Venture, we believe that Krintafel® will be an important medicine for malaria patients and will contribute to ongoing efforts to eradicate this disease.
Tafenonquin has been around since the 1970s, but by working with Medicines for Malaria, GSK has reoriented the drug so it can be used to get rid of malaria parasites in the liver.
The next step will be to evaluate the drug by regulatory agencies in countries where this form of malaria is a problem
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