Cambodia cracks down on illegal drug vendors in bid to counter antimalarial resistance

The emergence of resistance to artemisinin derivatives in western Cambodia last year could prove a serious setback for international efforts to control malaria. In an attempt to counter the spread of resistance to the most effective remaining antimalarials, local authorities have cracked down on unlicensed pharmacies in the country, closing down more than 60% in the past six months.

Shunmay Yeung, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BMJ that Cambodia was where resistance to chloroquine first emerged in the late 1950s and that if artemisinin follows a similar path it would be “potentially disastrous for global malaria control.”

Dr Yeung said that there are several reasons why Cambodia could be experiencing …