Quinine Quinine was first isolated in 1820 from the bark of a Cinchona tree, native to Peru, and its molecular formula was determined by Adolph Strecker in 1854. Bark extracts had been used to treat malaria since at least 1632 and it was introduced to Spain as early as 1636 by Jesuit missionaries returning from the New World. Quinine related drugs such as quinidine, chloroquine, amodiaquine, mefloquine and primaquine were synthesized since the late nineteen 30ies.
Antifolates After World War II several antifolates such as Proguanil, Pyrimethamine and Trimethoprim proved to be effective against malaria. These antifolates selectively inhibit folate’s actions in microbial organisms such as bacteria, protozoa and fungi.
Artemisinin annua An extract of A. annua, Artemisinin (or Artesunate), is a medication used to treat malaria. Discovery of artemisinin and its antimalarial properties by the Chinese scientist Tu Youyou led to the award of the 2011 Lasker Prize and 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Coartem, a combination of lumefantrine and artemether (an artemisinin derivative extracted with ether, 20 mg) is now the standard treatment for uncomplicated malaria, producing efficacy of up to 98%.
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