Advances in artemisinin-based drug research
Liu Zong-le · Journal of Pathogen Biology · 2014
Since the 1980s,artemisinin-based drugs have been independently researched and developed in China in place of chloroquine for treatment of falciparum malaria.These drugs are one of the most effective first-line drugs and they are widely used in areas around the world where Plasmodium falciparum malaria is endemic to save the lives of millions. Plasmodium falciparumtends to gradually lose its sensitivity to drugs as they are widely used over a long period of time. Research on new antimalarial drugs to preserve the effectiveness of artemisinin-based drugs and delay the development of resistance will take a decade or even several decades.Researchers around the world are conducting numerous studies that have yielded promising results.This paper reviews the development and use of artemisinin-based drugs,monitoring of sensitivity to artemisinin-based drugs,and factors influencing that sensitivity.