Abstract
THE FRUSTRATING BATTLE against malaria took two steps forward and one step back last week. New ventures targeting more affordable and effective treatments were launched, but they came on the heels of a setback in the antimalaria drug pipeline. The Institute for OneWorld Health has signed on Sanofi-Aventis and Amyris Biotechnologies to develop a low-cost semisynthetic route to artemisinin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in a range of malaria drugs. The API is currently extracted from the sweet wormwood plant, and the companies say a nonseasonal source would help stabilize the supply and price of malaria treatments. The goal is to design a commercial-scale manufacturing process that will turn out enough API to treat 200 million people—about 40% of the population that contracts malaria each year. The project builds on technology developed by University of California, Berkeley, professor Jay Keasling, who developed a microbial system to produce artemisinin through fermentation. “This collaboration...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
