New single dose Malaria drug in development

A recently discovered compound from the aminopyridine class, code named MMV390048 has shown potent activity against multiple points in the malaria parasite’s life cycle.

This means that it not only has the potential to become part of a single dose cure, but it might also be able to block transmission of the parasite from person to person. On this basis it was selected by the MMV Expert Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC), for further development, making it the first compound researched on African soil to enter pre-clinical development in partnership with MMV.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), each year between 149 million and 274 million people contract malaria, and about 655,000 people die from it. Here at Medical Specialists News we only reported earlier this month, on how many Britain’s are contracting malaria whilst abroad, due to not taking or not completing an anti-malarial course of medication.

The fact MMV390048 could be part of a single dose cure could prove effective, as current anti-malarial drugs need to be taken before, during and after entering a malaria zone. Malarone for example, needs to be taken two days before entering a malaria zone, for the duration of the holiday and then for seven days after returning home.

However other anti-malarial drugs need to be taken up to three weeks before travel and up to four weeks on return. This is where some Britain’s have slipped up and ended up suffering from malaria, because they have failed to start the course early enough or they have failed to finish the course. Obviously this is where a single dose cure such as MMV390048 could prove invaluable.

The aminopyridine series was initially identified by Griffith University scientists in Australia, as part of MMV’s extensive malaria screening campaign of around 6 million compounds. A team of scientists from the University of Cape Town’s Drug Discovery and Development Centre in South Africa, led by Professor Kelly Chibale, then scrutinised and explored the antimalarial potential of the series further.

With parasitological and pharmacological support from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Monash University, respectively, Professor Kelly’s team selected the most promising compounds from the series to be optimized and re-tested. In just 18 months the team had identified and developed a candidate, suitable for preclinical development.

Soft drinks branded ‘evil’ in new study

We are all drinking far more soft drinks than we used to, according to a new study undertaken by Bangor University. Many of us are now having one to two cans a day and as reported in last weeks article on Medical Specialists News; we are increasingly using sports drinks such as Lucozade whilst engaging in sports activities or visiting the gym. In fact, it is no surprise to learn that our consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1985 from 10 gallons per person a year to more than 25 gallons.

Now we all know that soft drinks aren’t necessarily good for you but could they be more dangerous than we thought and in many more ways than we thought. In fact, are they that dangerous that they should carry a health warning?

That may sound a little alarming but not to Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, the man behind the Bangor University study. Dr Kubis stated, “Having seen all the medical evidence, I don’t touch soft drinks now; I think drinks with added sugar are frankly evil.”

Even moderate consumption of one can a day or just two a week may alter our metabolism so that we pile on weight. The research at Bangor University and also published in the European Journal of nutrition reported that soft drinks actually alter our metabolism so that our muscles use sugar for energy instead of burning fat. It seems that exposure to liquid sugar not only results in weight gain but that it also changes our metabolism and genes within our muscles perhaps permanently, leaving us less able to cope with rises in blood sugar. This in turn increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

This research into soft drinks carried out at Bangor University is nothing new; in fact it is one in a long line of studies that have looked into the dangers of soft drinks. A study in March published in the American Heart Association’s journal, warned that men who drank one standard 12 oz can of sweetened beverage a day have a 20% higher risk of heart disease.

Perhaps most disturbing is the effect these sugary drinks are having on children. Four years ago, researchers at University College London’s Health Behaviour Research Centre, discovered a powerful and lucrative effect that sugary soft drinks have on youngsters. The study of 346 children aged around 11, found drinking soft drinks makes them want to drink more often even when they’re not actually thirsty and that their preference is for more sugary drinks.

Perhaps Dr Kubis highlighted the extent of the problem when acknowledging that he needed to do a much larger trial. His main problem was that he had difficulty in finding young people who had not previously been exposed to a lot of soft drinks.