Development of antimalarial drugs and their application in China: a historical review

This historical review covers antimalarials developed in China, which include artemisinin, artemether, artesunate, and dihydroartemisinin, as well as other synthetic drugs such as piperaquine, pyronaridine, benflumetol (lumefantrine), and naphthoquine. The curative effects of these antimalarials in the treatment of falciparum malaria, including chloroquine-resistant strain, are especially discussed. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), different combinations of artemisinin, or its derivative, along with another antimalarial drug were orally used to treat Plasmodium falciparum infections. The recrudescence rates were low, gametocyte carriers lessened, and the curative rate increased remarkably. The combination therapy effectively deferred the emergence of drug resistance in the parasite. The regulation “The guidelines and regimens for the use of antimalarial drugs in China” was issued to guide rational application and standardize malaria treatment in the country. As the recommended first-line drug to treat falciparum malaria in the world, ACT was adopted in the regulation. In response to the global initiative of malaria eradication proposed by the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Chinese government has set a target to eliminate malaria by 2020.