Experts want new malaria drugs released

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By Standard Team

Scientists want new malaria drugs whose trials have been concluded to be introduced in the market.

They argued some drugs in use are no longer effective in containing the rapidly mutating malaria parasite.

The scientists included Dr Timothy Wells of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Dr Brian Greenwood of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Others were Dr Wilfred Mbacham of University of YaoundÈ, Dr Sodiomon Sirima of Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme and Dr Michael MacDonald, of USAID.

Currently, vaccine trials underway or recently completed include AMA-1, which is being studied in Mali, MZ2, which is in a Phase 1b clinical trial and is being conducted by the Albert Schweitzer Institute in Gabon.

World’s best hope

In Bamako, Mali there is MSP3-LSP, which is in a Phase 2b clinical trial and RTS, S, which has entered a large-scale Phase 3 trial being conducted by 11 medical research institutions in Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Trial for the RTS, S, the world’s most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate, is expected to involve up to 16,000 children. Five thousand are already enrolled.

The scientists demanded the process of trials be expedited so the drugs are made available to the public as soon as possible, once approved by World Health Organisation.

While it is critical that global malaria community improves access to best existing interventions, new and improved drugs, diagnostics, vaccines and vector control methods remain the best hope for eradication.

Addressing delegates at the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) conference in Nairobi, they disclosed a broad range of new drugs and compound classes were in the pipeline.

"Some of the drugs are bound to tackle emerging resistance and stop transmission," Dr Wells said.

Meanwhile, scientists said African governments are not prepared for the introduction of a malaria vaccine.

Regulatory framework

With three years before the vaccine, now in Phase Three clinical trials is released, experts view the countries regulatory institutions as too weak.

University of YaoundÈ Public Health Biotechnologist Wilfred Mbacham yesterday said it takes about three to five years for a government to put up measures to receive a vaccine.

"Even if we release the vaccine, most or majority of African Governments will not be ready because we have not put regulatory framework in place," said Prof Mbacham.

—Reporting by Kepher Otieno, Elizabeth Mwai and Peter Orengo.