====== Artesunate ======

//Artesunate// is a widely prescribed drug used to treat severe malaria infections. It was developed in the mid 1970s, and is now on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

It was originally derived from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisinin|Artemisinin]] , a compound extracted from the //Sweet Wormwood// plant - which had been used as a herbal remedy for many years, especially in China.

The mechanism of action is unknown - it somehow disrupts essential biochemistry of the malaria parasite.

The drug was only approved in the US in 2020, and is now undergoing trials to determine its possible effectiveness in treating other diseases.

See : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesunate|Wikipedia]]

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Also see : [[content:medicine:drugs:halofantrine|]]