Prospects for sustainable production of the antimalarial molecule artemisinin in India

Abstract

The Plasmodium falciparum malaria has assumed epidemic proportions. Now there are 500 million cases of malaria resulting in 1 million deaths, each year. The parasite has developed multi-drug resistance against the conventional quinoline and antifolate antimalarials and artemisinins are the only drugs that are effective. The WHO recommended artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) for combating malaria is awaiting a supply chain of artemisinin. Here, it is shown that indigenously developed technologies for cultivation and processing of Artemisia annua crops to produce artemisinin drugs and industrial partnerships can meet the challenges of artemisinin supply for the launch of the international Roll Back Malaria (WHO) and Millennium Development Goal (UNDP) programmes to control malaria worldwide.