RSEARCHERS at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) have developed an exciting new antimalarial drug candidate to help control and eliminate the disease.
Working in collaboration with global biopharmaceutical company MSD, the new drug candidate MK-7602 targets the most prevalent malaria parasites in humans, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.
It acts by blocking two essential parasite enzymes, providing a unique dual-action strategy with the potential to reduce the risk of drug resistance, the emergence of which has complicated efforts to control and eliminate malaria.
Malaria remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death globally, killing an estimated 600,000 people a year, with children under five the most vulnerable.
MK-7602 is currently in early testing stages, having undergone antimalarial activity, pharmacokinetics and safety studies in a small number of healthy people.
Professor Alan Cowman, lead investigator from WEHI, said new and better treatments for malaria were urgently needed, to drive forward global efforts towards eradication.
"The evaluation of MK-7602 represents an important step in our fight against malaria," he said.
"Its ability to target multiple stages of the parasite life cycle, combined with its high barrier to resistance, supports our ongoing efforts to find new ways to combat this devastating disease for patients who need the hope of new treatments," he concluded.
Further studies are needed to fully assess the efficacy and safety of MK-7602 in diverse patient populations and real-world settings. KB
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