Walter Reed and Sigma Tau collaborate on malaria research

The USA-based Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and the US Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) have entered into a new partnership with Italy-headquartered Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, to help finalize the R&D of a new and promising treatment for severe malaria. A collaborative R&D deal between WRAIR, USAMMDA and Sigma-Tau has been signed for the intravenous drug artesunate. Sigma-Tau will complete the research studies and prepare for submission to the US Food and Drug Administration for marketing clearance, which it hope to submit in 2008.

In the USA, there are 1,000-1,500 reported cases of malaria occurring annually, mostly in persons traveling to areas of the world with ongoing malaria transmission. At least 10%-15% of malaria is classified as severe rather than uncomplicated, and is associated with impaired consciousness, extreme weakness and jaundice, and typically requires immediate diagnosis and treatment. Four to eight deaths occur annually in the USA as a result of misdiagnosis or delayed treatment, notes the WRAIR.