Treatment and Prevention of Malaria

Malaria has defeated previous efforts at eradication and remains a massive global public health problem despite being readily preventable and treatable. It is a devastating disease that also extracts huge economic costs from the poorest countries in endemic regions.  

Starting with an overview of the disease and its current political, financial and technical context, this Milestones in Drug Therapy volume describes the history, chemistry, mechanisms of action and resistance, preclinical and clinical use, pharmacokinetics and safety and tolerability of the current range of antimalarial drugs. There is particular emphasis on artemisinins and related peroxides, as these drugs have now become the frontline treatment for malaria. Next generation antimalarials, molecular markers for detecting resistance, the importance of diagnostics and disease prevention are also covered in detail.

Antimalarial drugs and the control and elimination of malaria.- 4-Aminoquinolines: chloroquine, amodiaquine and next generation analogues.- Cinchona alkaloids: quinine and quinidine.- 8-Aminoquinolines: primaquine and tafenoquine.- Other 4-methanolquinolines, amyl alcohols and phentathrenes: mefloquine, lumefantrine, halofantrine, piperaquine and pyronaridine.- Antifolates: pyrimethamine, proguanil, sulphadoxine and dapsone.- Naphthoquinones: atovaquone, and other antimalarials targeting mitochondrial functions.- Non-antifolate antibiotics: clindamycin, doxycycline, azithromycin and fosmidomycin.- Artemisinins: artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, artemether, arteether and artesunate.- Second generation peroxides: the OZs and artemisone.- Combination therapy in light of emerging artemisinin resistance.- New medicines to combat malaria: an overview of the global pipeline of therapeutics.- Molecular markers of Plasmodium resistance to antimalarials.- Prevention of malaria.- Malaria diagnostics: lighting the path.