The World
Health Organization, asked pharmaceutical company to stop the marketing and
sale of single-drug artemisinin malaria medicine, to prevent malaria parasite
from developing resistance to the drug.
According to it, the use of single-drug
artemisinin, also known as monotherapy, has tens development of resistance to
the drugs so as not to endanger the useful therapeutic-life of ACTS.
However, the statement said that
parental (not given orally) artemisinin and quinine could be used a monotherapy
for severe malaria.
It
added that artemisinin suppositories could be used as monotherapy in the
peripheral treatment of severe malaria where oral medication was not possible.
The statement noted that WHO had taken a
strong position on the important issue of terminating the use of artemisinin
monotherapy.
It
warned that ACTs are the treatment recommended for all cases of uncomplicated
falciparum malaria except in the first trimester of pregnancy, in which ACTs
are recommended only if no other effective alternative medicine is available.
It said quinine or artemisinin
derivatives such as artesunate; artemether and artemotil could be given through
intravenous or intramuscularly route in severe P, falciparum malaria.