Scientists Develope A New Antimalarial Compound

Kevin Read, a researcher at the University of
Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit in the United Kingdom,
said that clinical testing of the compound should
begin within a year.
According to a study, just one dose of the compound
could be used to fight malaria infections in patients
and increase their immunity against the parasite.
“The chemical compound of this potential drug is
different from any other antimalarial compound in
that it interacts at many different stages of the
parasite life cycle,” Read noted.

Colin Sutherland, a researcher at London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, stated that if clinical
trials are successful, the drug will be available in five
or six years.
“The compound interferes with some of the
machinery involved in protein synthesis in the
parasite at different stages of its life cycle.
“As the chemical remains active for a very long time
within the body, It could also become a protective
agent, preventing healthy people from contracting the
disease,” Read added.
The compound, currently named DDD107498, was
originally discovered in 2010. Now it is going through
the final stages of preclinical safety testing.
Since the compound is simple to make, researchers
believe that one dose of the final product should cost
about $1, similar to existing treatments.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
Malaria kills more than half a million people a year;
they are mostly children under five years of age.
The WHO reports that progress in medical research
has nearly halved malaria deaths since 2000.
However, the emergence of drug-resistant parasites
is still an increasingly pressing issue.