PHA-Exchange> HIV drugs could work against malaria

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>

Drugs currently used to treat people with HIV could also be
used against malaria, according to scientists at the
Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia.

The researchers, whose study will be published in December
in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, say their findings
are important in tropical regions where people are often
infected with both HIV and malaria.

The study assessed the effect of six commonly used HIV drugs
on the malaria parasite — Plasmodium falciparum — in
laboratory tests. Three of the drugs stopped the parasite
from growing, while three had no effect.

The drugs block an important parasite molecule and were
effective against malaria parasites that are resistant to
currently used drugs.

"At present, [these drugs] do not form part of the first
line treatment of HIV in developing countries," says Stephen
Rogerson, a malaria researcher at the University of
Melbourne. "[This is] for two reasons: expense, and in many
instances the need for cool storage of the drugs."

However, Rogerson told SciDev.Net, "growing evidence shows
that HIV-infected people respond less well to standard
malaria therapy", suggesting the need for a new class of
anti-malarial drugs specifically for those with HIV.

Although the Queensland researchers do not believe that
these drugs would be the first choice to initially treat
malaria patients, they think they have identified a chink in
the parasite's armour that could be explored for the
development of new drugs.

The researchers say they are not sure exactly how the drugs
act against the malaria parasite. One theory they propose is
that the drugs inhibit an enzyme the parasite uses to digest
haemoglobin, the pigment in human blood that allows
transport of oxygen.

The next step, they say, is to test these results in
patients who have both HIV and malaria to determine how the
drugs work in combination with others.