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News/Event Item
WHO Publishes Guidelines on Cultivating Essential Plant Used in Anti-Malaria Medicines
March 12, 2007
The World Health Organization (WHO) today publishes guidelines for the cultivation and collection of Artemisia annua L, a Chinese traditional medicinal plant which is the source of artemisinin, used to produce the most effective medicines for malaria. The guidelines will contribute to improving the quality of Artemisia annua L to further develop artemisinin-based medicines, and help ensure a sustainable supply to meet market demand.
Artemisia annua L, used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries, is today considered part of the solution where malaria has become resistant to other medicines. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been recommended by WHO since 2001 in all countries where falciparum malaria - the most resistant form of the disease - is endemic.
Since then, the world market for products containing artemisinin derivatives has grown rapidly. However, not all artemisinin meets the required standards to produce quality medicines, making it all the more urgent to promote best practices in the cultivation and collection of the raw material used to make the combination therapy.
© World Health Organization 2007
For full article, visit:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np10/en/index.html
category: News from Other Sources : General Health News
contributed by Liza Nanni on 13 March 2007
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