Discovering and developing new medicines for malaria control and elimination

Area of Science:

• Drug Discovery and Development
• Infectious Diseases
• Parasitology

Background:

• A global call to eradicate malaria has spurred an increase in antimalarial drug candidates since 2007.
• Four new fixed-dose combination antimalarial medicines have been approved recently.
• Existing antimalarial drugs face threats from evolving pathogen resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress and challenges in the discovery and development of new antimalarial drugs.
• To highlight novel drug candidates and their mechanisms of action.
• To emphasize the need for treatments addressing specific patient groups and transmission stages.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent advancements in antimalarial drug discovery, including target-based and whole-parasite screening.
• Analysis of compounds in clinical development, such as OZ439 and spiroindolone.
• Examination of collaborative efforts between research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and organizations like Medicines for Malaria Venture.

Main Results:

• A promising pipeline of new antimalarial compounds has been developed through collaborative research.
• Novel drug candidates, including synthetic endoperoxides (e.g., OZ439) and spiroindolones, are in clinical development.
• Spiroindolone demonstrates efficacy against blood stages of both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax via a novel mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress has been made in antimalarial drug discovery, with new classes of compounds identified.
• Challenges remain, including the need for drugs targeting the parasite lifecycle, specific populations (infants, pregnant women), and overcoming resistance.
• Continued collaboration and focus on patient needs are essential for advancing antimalarial therapies and achieving malaria eradication.