Development of 50 malaria drugs is under threat unless funding expands

Spending on malaria research and development increased fivefold in the 16 years to 2009, the independent non-profit research group, Policy Cures, has found.

If the current level of funding, which stood at $612m (£380m; €422m) in 2009, is modestly increased, the goals of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership for control, treatment, and elimination of malaria could be met in the next six years.

Policy Cures says that there are currently more than 48 malaria drugs in the pipeline, and warns that if funding declines, these drugs may be lost.

The Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership was launched by the World Health Organization, Unicef, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank, in 1998 to coordinate the action against malaria. The report by Policy Cures is the most detailed study to date about …