The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9709, Page 122, 9 January 2010
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60049-9
It's not all bad news: advances in malaria drug research
Wen Kilama and Francine Ntoumi (Oct 31, p 1480)1 highlight the real challenges we confront if we are to sustain the remarkable advances achieved since 2000 in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality.
However, in raising alarms about the future, they fail to recognise the successful introduction of some of the new tools they argue that we need. At the founding of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria a decade ago, there was only one quality artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) available in the world. Today, thanks in part to the efforts of public—private partnerships such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, the world has two more WHO-prequalified ACTs and the promise of three additional combinations that could be prequalified in the next 18—24 months.
With the largest-ever pipeline of malaria drugs in development, MMV and its partners are working to ensure that if ever the whole class of ACTs fails to deliver effective treatment in the future, new alternatives will already be advancing through rigorous research processes. This situation is a far cry from the grim situation 10 years ago, when the research and development gap for effective malaria treatments was genuinely a cause for alarm.
Regarding Kilama and Ntoumi's call for better diagnostics, we note that, although there is always room for improvement, the 2009 assessment of more than 40 commercially available rapid diagnostic tests2 is helping countries make informed choices about reliable products that can ensure proper diagnosis of malaria and thereby rational use of ACTs. The encouraging scale-up of rapid diagnostic tests use in many countries is testament to the broader availability and better qualification of these important tools.
We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.
Full Article here
No comments:
Post a Comment