PSWE-04 - Combatting malaria: New horizon of drug discovery and treatment landscape of malaria in Africa

Meeting room 2.60
Organised by The FIP Special Interest Group on New Medicines in collaboration with the FIP Hospital Pharmacy Section

Chair(s)

Dr Brian Cicali, ExCo member of the FIP Special Interest Group New generation of pharmaceutical scientists, United States and Dr Mujahidhussein Valji, ExCo Member of the FIP Hospital Pharmacy Section, Tanzania

Introduction

Malaria is a major public health challenge in tropical and subtropical regions, causing approximately one million deaths each year, mostly among African children under five, and 300 million clinical cases each year. The spread of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes is exacerbating the problem, requiring urgent research into new antimalarial medicines and vaccines. While collaborative efforts involving the World Health Organization, pharmaceutical companies and foundations are underway, university research is critical to tackling drug resistance. Since 2018, Africa-based initiatives have aimed to increase medicine discovery capacity on the continent.

In addition, more clinical trials in Africa are essential, as less than 2% are conducted there, leading to medicines not being optimised for African patients and potentially inferior treatment outcomes. Pharmacists play a key role in malaria pharmacotherapy, particularly in effective case management of artemisinin-based combination therapy. Comprehensive interventions, including primaquine to reduce malaria transmission are essential and integrated tools such as mass medicine administration and chemoprevention efforts targeting vulnerable populations are critical to the elimination of malaria. This session will focus on innovative drug discovery for malaria, the development of the African drug discovery community and the key role of pharmacists in the treatment and management of malaria on the continent.

 

Spell out

Programme

 

11:00 – 11:05

Introduction by the chairs
11:05 – 11:20 Short oral communication from a selected submitted abstract
11:20 – 11:50 Innovation experiences from Africa-led drug discovery
Dr Susan Winks, H3D University of Cape Town, South Africa
11:50 – 12:20 Malaria treatment landscape: current trends and future directions
Dr Eulambius Mathias Mlugu, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania
12:20 – 12:30 Q&A and closing

Learning objectives

  • To identify the effort of drug discovery for malaria developed by African academia.
  • To describe the academic community in Africa for the drug discovery of malaria.
  • To describe the current trends and future directions in malaria treatment.

Summary

  • Drug discovery research for malaria is conducted in the university-based drug discovery community in Africa. One of the features of this research is that many developments have been made to take advantage of regional characteristics.
  • Pharmacists appear to be the most accessible healthcare professionals, making them the right partners for the prevention, control and treatment of malaria.