Study: Pricier malaria drug cost-effective

LONDON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Treating patients with the most expensive anti-malarial drug combination can actually save money in the long run, a new study says.

An evaluation of the three alternative drug combinations now used for the treatment of malaria in Tanzania found that a combination of artemether and lumefantrine, though most expensive in the short run, saved money in the long run because its superior performance in curing malaria reduced the need for further treatment.

Thus, the researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine say, this combination should be the preferred option for East Africa.

The World Health Organization and other authorities now recommend the use of one of a new type of treatments, based on the Chinese drug artemisinin, combined with an older malaria treatment. The goal is to delay the development of malaria strains that are artemisinin-resistant.

The study, now appearing in the journal PLoS Medicine, is available at the Web site www.plosmedicine.org.