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Nigeria: Experts Discover New Malaria Drugs
Medical experts in the field of malaria cure in Ibadan have said they have discovered a
new drug for the cure of malaria whose sickness they said has claimed the lives of over
300,000 children in the country annually.
The experts led by Prof. Akin Sowunmi of the Clinical Pharmacology, University
College Hospital, Ibadan had diagonised at the launch of swipha's new anti-malarials dart
and farenex that chloroquine, one of the age long drug for the cure of the disease has been
discovered to be ineffective for the sole cure of the ailment.
Other medics, who joined Sowunmi to welcome the new medicants for malaria cure,
included Dr. Waheed Idowu Olanrewaju, a General Practitioner and proprietor of
Olanrewaju Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State and Dr.Idowu Olajumoke Ayede of the Oni
Memorial Children Hospital, Ring Road, Ibadan all concurred that with the death rate of
victims of malaria, a new drug that will be effective in the cure of the ailment was
desirable.
Ayede said the disease is the most parasitic infection among people and over which
300,000 children die in the country yearly.
She added that the ailment constituted significant manpower loss, and called on
stakeholders to partner in the bid to find effective cure for the ailment.
Olanrewaju in his paper identified malaria as the commonest cause of out-patient ailment
and a major contributor of the death of children below the ages of five years.
He stressed the need to empower the expert in the business of general practice in the
search for cure for the ailment to reduce infant mortality rate.
In his address of welcome to the launch, the Managing Director of Swipha Pharma
Nigeria Limited, Mr. Colin Cummings boasted that the company was the first to breast
the tape of the search for the cure of the ailment with the introduction of dart and farenex
which are locally produced.
Cumings reminded the audience that his company was the first, 30 years ago to launch
the leading fansidar into the Nigerian market and which won the coveted brand of the
year award in the pharmaceutical category of the National Institute of Marketing in 2005.
He told the audience that comprised mostly of medical doctors and pharmacists that a
child dies every 30 seconds from malaria, "in Nigeria, malaria is the commonest cause of
illness, absenteeism and death."
He said World Health Organisation (WHO) and other global bodies have recognised the
need to preserve and prolong the usefulness of presently available anti-malarial drugs as a
response to growing resistance which as a consequence is increasing morbidity, mortality
and increasing costs to the community. He said that about 67 per cent of the population get malaria infections annually with an estimated and contributes significantly to the high level of maternal mortality, "overall, malaria accelerates the vicious circle of poverty, malnutrition, disease and low life expectancy." Source : The Herald

Source: http://www.speer.co.za/test/biopad/docs/Experts_Discover_New_Malaria_Drugs.pdf