Malaria Today

Malaria has had a significant negative impact on human survival for over 10,000 years and persists into the 21st Century. Malaria currently afflicts over 200 million individuals every year and more than 500,000 of these patients (mostly children) die every year! Presently the mainstay treatment for malaria is artemisinin (and its derivatives) from the Chinese plant Artemisia annua. Artemisinin is always administered in combination with additional antimalarial drugs to retard the growth of drug resistance. Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) was founded in 1999 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the discovery, development and delivery of new, effective and affordable antimalarial drugs. Matt Wyvratt of MJW Pharma Consulting will discuss the critical need to discover new anti-malarias to combat drug resistance to existing medications. The discussion will be held at the Summit Old Guard meeting. Guests are welcome.