First Market Launches For GW's Malarone

Glaxo Wellcome says that it has launched its antimalaria drug Malarone(atovaquone 250mg/proguanil 100mg) in the UK and in Switzerland. The UK is acting as the rapporteur country for pan-European approval.

Malarone, an electron transport system inhibitor, is licensed for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, a multidrug-resistant parasite which is responsible for the majority of deaths associated with malaria. The company stresses that Malarone should be used as a second- or third-line therapy where other drugs have failed to work, thus delaying the development of resistance.

The combination of the two drugs means that the parasite is targeted in two different ways, it says. Malarone penetrates the red blood cells and attacks two biochemical pathways in the parasite residing inside, interrupting the parasite's ability to manufacture the proteins it requires for reproduction, and effectively killing it. According to the company, this method of attack also reduces the speed with which the parasite develops resistance.