Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are currently recommended by WHO as the first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria.11 ACTs are a combination of an artemisinin derivative (e.g., artesunate) and a partner drug.12 Both compounds in ACTs function to eliminate the Plasmodium parasites from the bloodstream (WHO website, 2022).
ACT drugs are viewed as a “prime suspect for counterfeiting” since artemisinin is significantly more expensive to produce compared to older, synthetic forms of malaria medicine (Nyqvist, 2020, p. 7; Kaur et al., 2016, p. 1).
Thanks for publishing this! Do you mind defining what an ACT is?
(Disclosure, I used to work as a contractor for Living Goods).
Artemisinin-based combination therapies. Quoting RP’s report: