1-11Malaria is one of the world's most
devastating human infectious disease and, in India, it is endemic with the mortality
rate steadily increasing. As a result the search for the development of new and
more effective chemotherapeutic agents to control this life threatening disease
is going on at several centres. In this context, artemisinin isolated from the Chinese
herb qinghao (Artemisia annua) and its derivatives such as
arteether, artemether, artesunate, and artilinate have been reported to be effective
schizontocidal agent. The Central
Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), in association
with Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow had taken up the task of development of
α/β-arteether derivative of artemisinin for convenient parenteral
treatment of severe and complicated
cerebral malaria. The epimeric mixture of
α and β-arteether has the advantage of higher
solubility in oil medium and is more economical for large scale production. Artemisia
annua plant was introduced in India by CIMAP. It also developed
the appropriate agrotechnologies
for its cultivation under the temperate and
semi-temperate climates. CIMAP developed the improved varieties containing high
artemisinin content and also efficient isolation procedures for artemisinin and
essential oil. CIMAP has also developed an efficient and economical procedure for
the preparation of drug arteether. The drug arteether has been marketed by
Themis India Ltd under the trade name E-Mal and is most effective against
uncomplicated, severe complicated/cerebral and multi-drug resistant malaria cases