An experimental Novartis drug can clear malaria infection in mice with a single dose.

Scientists say it shows promise as a possible future treatment for one of the world's major killer diseases.

In a study published in the journal Science on Thursday, an international team of scientists said the drug, called NITD609, is effective against the two most common parasites responsible for malaria - Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax - and also against a range of drug-resistant strains.

In experiments on mice with malaria, the scientists found that NITD609 works in a different way from other anti-malarial drugs and that one oral dose was enough to clear the disease.

Safety tests
More safety tests are needed before the drug can be given to humans, but the researchers said that if those are positive, clinical trials in humans could begin at the end of this year.

"A single-dose cure would go a long way to addressing the unmet medical need in malaria, and we look forward to seeing how this compound performs in clinical trials," said Rick Davis, of Britain's Wellcome Trust, which supported the research.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there are about 243 million cases of malaria each year, causing an estimated 863,000 deaths, mostly among young children in Africa.

Although malaria is preventable and curable, it is estimated that in Africa a child dies from the disease every 45 seconds.

"Desirable features"
Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the experimental compound had several "desirable features", including that it targets a parasite protein not attacked by any existing malaria drugs.

NITD609 also has properties which could enable it to be manufactured in pill form and in large quantities.

If NITD609 behaves similarly in people to the way it works in mice, said one of the scientists in a report on the work, it may be possible to develop it into a drug that could be taken just once. This is far easier than current standard treatments in which malaria drugs are taken between one and four times a day for up to seven days.

Source: Reuters