artemisinin news stories on Newser

Malaria Drugs Lose Punch in Key Region

John Johnson — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:16:49 CDT

Malaria researchers are watching with alarm as once-effective drugs lose their punch in a flashpoint region, reports the Guardian . New studies show that drugs based on the plant extract artemisinin are losing potency on the Burma-Thailand border. The problem started in Cambodia and is apparently spreading as counterfeit versions spring...

Cheap Malaria Drug Holds Promise for Millions

Peter Fearon — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:15:00 CDT

The lives of millions of children may be saved by a new technique for producing a malaria drug at a 10th of the cost of current treatments, making it accessible the world's most impoverished people, reports the Independent . The technique involves inserting a dozen synthetic genes into yeast cells, then...

China to Test Controversial Malaria Treatment

Colleen Barry — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:24:13 CDT

A Chinese researcher will test a radical new strategy designed to wipe out malaria on a small African island, the International Herald Tribune reports. Mass treatment with a highly effective antimalarial drug would virtually clear the parasite from patients' blood, but critics fear the plan could backfire, causing drug resistance...