Science: New Anti-Malarial Drug Candidate Shows Promise

By returning to traditional screening methods, researchers have identified an effective anti-malarial drug candidate, known as NITD609, which seems to kill the blood stages of the two major malaria parasites when administered orally, just once a day. This discovery is especially timely since researchers in Asia have begun to report a building resistance to artemisinin, the main ingredient in current malaria treatments for about 100 million patients each year.

A team of scientists from around the world used high-throughput screening approaches—as opposed to the more widely-used molecular screening processes—to discover a new class of compounds known as the spiroindolones, which show promise for treating malaria.

These researchers identified a particular spiroindolone, NITD609, which is able to kill both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria pathogens, including a range of drug-resistant strains.

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