2018-08-14
Recently, British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the fluorogenic anti-malarial drug tefenoquine (Krintafel) has obtained FDA approval. Tafenoquine was synthesized by the scientists of the Walter Reed Army Research Institute (WRAIR) in 1978. It is worth mentioning that Krintafel's approval is the first new treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria in the past 60 years. It is the first new drug to prevent Plasmodium vivax malaria. It is also the FDA approved this year. 23 new drugs.
Plasmodium is a complex living organism that spans humans and mosquitoes throughout its life cycle. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, Plasmodium vivax enters the liver to sleep, and regular activation causes recurrence of vivax malaria. Therefore, a single infection with vivax malaria can cause repeated episodes of malaria, and relapses can occur within a few weeks or even years after the initial infection. P. vivax has a significant impact on public health and the economy, mainly in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa, where an estimated 8.5 million clinical cases occur each year. Children and adults infected with Plasmodium vivax are unable to attend school or work for at least 3 days. Studies show that in addition to losing time, malaria can have a negative impact on cognitive ability.