From Conventional to Nano-Enabled Combination Therapies to Address Therapeutic Challenges of Malaria

Malaria, a poverty-related disease, is a significant global health burden. Combination therapy is one of the most efficient approaches currently used to treat malaria infections, with artemisinin-based combination therapies being the recommended first-line treatment. Nevertheless, the emergence of resistance to artemisinin and its derivatives underscores the importance of developing new alternative antimalarial combinations as well as innovative therapeutic strategies to combat the disease. Intersecting combination therapy with nanotechnology could create innovative and highly effective nano-based combination therapies. This approach has shown notable benefits in treating various diseases, particularly cancer, and holds great potential in infectious disease treatment. Initial preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of nano-based combination therapies in malaria treatment. This narrative review provides a panoramic overview of regulatory-approved and internationally endorsed conventional combination therapies for malaria and explores ongoing research into developing novel conventional and nano-based combination therapies. It aims to guide future research funding, inspires the development of innovative next-generation nano-based combination therapies, and supports their clinical translation, thereby maximizing efforts to fight malaria and accelerating disease elimination.