Malarone Now Recommended for Malaria
The malaria parasite is continuing to show a resistance to current treatments. Although the instances of malaria are decreasing, the problem is still very much widespread and researchers at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in Cameroon, and the Organisation for the Coordination of the Fight against Endemic Diseases in Central Africa, (OLEAC), are worried. However, in terms of a solution, they suggest that a dual therapy be made widely available. The dual therapy they recommend will include a derivative of artemisinin, which is already recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the treatment of malaria, and is known as artensunate, and Malarone. Malarone is currently in use as a preventative measure for those traveling to endemic regions, and also a treatment for malaria, but not everywhere considering how expensive it is. In saying that, the patent has now entered the public sphere which suggests that the drug will be more accessible in the future. More information on the study can be found here.
The major problem here is Plasmodium Falciparum, a particularly worrying malaria parasite that has presented itself so far as having the potential to become completely resistant to all of the current treatment options available today. This is why it’s important to act fast. According to IRD and OLEAC, using a range and variety of drugs instead of using just one therapy, will help greatly in the fight against resistance. The less these pathogens are exposed to the same treatment, the slower resistance will be to develop. Furthermore, rationalizing the usage of new therapies will also help to slow the process of resistance.
The teams at IRD and OLEAC, have been carrying out relevant studies over the last twenty years in Cameroon. They have found that Malarone, when administered as a monotherapy, demonstrated the failure to treat the virus in 10.3% of the 340 patients who took part in this study. The study’s participants were all under the age of five years, and the failures were caused by reinfections during the treatment phase. The dual therapy of Malarone and the artensunate proved a lot more efficacious than even the dual therapy of the recommended Malarone and artemisinin combination, of which the artesunate is a derivative. In addition, the number of relapses reported were far fewer after 28 days.
Now that the patent is in the public domain, the price of malarone will come down, meaning this combination therapy can reach poorer people in endemic regions and hopefully with increasingly positive results.
Anyone travelling to a malaria region of the world is recommended to get a malarial prophylaxis prescribed prior to his or her trip. Malarone is generally the medication of choice because of the easy dosing regimen and the relatively good risk profile. Malarone is quite often prescribed online by doctors in order to save patients a trip to the GP surgery.
Before you travel you should visit this helpful Government website so you can find out what vaccinations and medications you require prior to travel.