German research offers malaria patients hope

berlin - Scientists from the Max-Planck Institute have taken a step forward in the fight against malaria. They have found a method to produce the active ingredient against the tropical disease, artemisinin, faster, more efficiently and therefore cheaper than so far from the plant summer odor (Artemisia annua) and also more environmentally friendly. 'This development has the potential to save millions of lives,' said director Peter Seeberger on Wednesday.

Malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes, is one of the deadliest infectious diseases with tuberculosis and HIV. According to the World Health Organization, there were about 216 million new infections in 2016; 445,000 people died, of whom nearly 90 percent were Africans.

For the isolation of artemisinin from summer-season, Chinese Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015. According to Seeberger, the new German technology is a 'breakthrough in production. 'The University of Wageningen also worked on this by incorporating the artemisinin gene into chicory (chicory).

Critics find it too early to speak of a revolution. There are also warning signs from Asia that resistance is beginning to arise against the substance.