Present

On the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines [14], there are currently listed 14 medicines for curative treatment of malaria and 4 medicines for prophylactic treatment, with the treatments formulated either as single compounds or as combinations. Perhaps the most effective of these are the artemisinin-based combinations which use an artemisinin derivative (short-acting) in combination with one or more complementary compounds (long-acting and possessing different mechanisms of action).

MMV has been involved in progressing nine new anti-malarial treatments based on different formulations/combinations of approved drugs (Fig. 2). All of these compounds are on the MLEM as combination therapies.

Fig. 2

New drug combinations/formulations that have been approved for use. Brand name of the drug (in bold), partnered company (in italics) and drug combination (colour-coded to the structures) are listed.