Drug Successfully Combats Both Malaria and HIV

Beth
June 26, 2005

The researchers said their findings were particularly important for areas where both HIV and malaria were rife… Malaria kills over one million people a year, with more than 90% of cases reported in sub-Saharan Africa.
HIV drugs block malaria in tests

Resistance is a big problem with malaria and HIV drugs.

Powerful drugs used to treat HIV can also block malaria, researchers say they have shown for the first time.

A team at Australia’s University of Queensland found antiretroviral drugs stopped the parasite that causes malaria from growing.

These drugs also worked on parasites that had developed resistance to common malaria drugs, laboratory tests showed.

The researchers said their findings were particularly important for areas where both HIV and malaria were rife.

[It] does suggest a unique parasite target that has yet to be exploited by any of the currently available anti-malarial drugs
Lead researcher Dr Kathy Andrews

Malaria kills over one million people a year, with more than 90% of cases reported in sub-Saharan Africa.

BBC News


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