Ready: First Semi-synthetic Malaria Drugs from French Drugmaker Sanofi

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced on Tuesday the delivery of the first anti-malaria drugs made from a semi-synthetic version of their key ingredient to millions of patients in Africa.

Sanofi said that the development of semi-synthetic artemisinin -- the weapon of choice against malaria -- signalled a "new era" in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease.

Malaria - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.

Artemisinin is normally derived from a plant called sweet wormwood, but the weather can affect harvests of the plant, causing shortages and price spikes.

The drugmaker said it had been able to make 1.7 million treatments with the semi-synthetic alternative, which will be shipped to Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, and Nigeria in the coming months.

The World Health Organization gave the use of semi-synthetic artemisinin in malaria products the green light in May last year.

About Mosquito Diseases
Mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria, filaria, dengue, etc are common in places conducive of mosquito breeding. Swamps, ponds and stagnated drainage provide optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Sanofi said that "by complementing botanically-derived supplies, the new option can widen access to treatment for millions sickened by malaria every year."

According to the WHO's last malaria report, published last December, the disease killed 627,000 people in 2012, mainly children in Africa, with an estimated 207 million cases worldwide.

New Herbal Remedy to Fight Malaria
Recent research has shown that the powdered dried leaves of Artemisia annua is much more effective in treating malaria than the purified form of the drug artemisinin.

Source-AFP

Fever / Pyrexia - Symptom Evaluation - Types - FAQs
Fever or Pyrexia is an elevation in normal body temperature. Causes of fever include infections, injury, cancers, inflammation, hormonal, metabolic and genetic diseases.