Antimalarial Drug -

: After many failures, Tu realized that high-heat extraction was destroying the active ingredient. She used a low-temperature method to isolate Artemisinin .

The race for new drugs hasn't been without controversy. (Lariam), developed by the US Army in the 1970s, was a powerful long-acting drug. However, it became notorious for severe neuropsychiatric side effects, including:

: To prove it was safe, Tu volunteered to be the first human subject to take the drug. Her discovery eventually earned her the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015. 3. The Shadow of Side Effects antimalarial drug

Long before laboratories existed, the story began in the Andean forests of South America with the . Legend has it that an indigenous Peruvian man, suffering from a high fever, drank from a pool of bitter water where a Cinchona trunk had fallen—and his fever broke.

: A scientist tasked with the mission turned to ancient medical texts. She discovered a reference to "sweet wormwood" ( Artemisia annua ) being used to treat fever in 340 AD. : After many failures, Tu realized that high-heat

The story of antimalarial drugs is a millennia-long race between human ingenuity and a parasite that constantly evolves to outsmart its cures. It is a narrative that spans ancient forests, secret wartime laboratories, and modern-day medical miracles. 1. The Ancient Bitter Bark

History of antimalarial drugs - Medicines for Malaria Venture (Lariam), developed by the US Army in the

During the 1960s, as malaria took a heavy toll on soldiers during the Vietnam War, standard drugs like chloroquine began to fail. In China, a secret military project named was launched to find a new cure.