Kesinee Chotivanich1,2 and Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn2
- The Royal Society of Thailand, Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine. Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU). Mahidol University. Thailand
Correspondence to: Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn (MD-PhD),
Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine. Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU). Mahidol University. Thailand. Email: borimas.han@mahidol.ac.th
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most important tropical diseases with 200 million cases worldwide. The malaria control and elimination programmes, initiated by WHO in 2005, have been adopted by more than 50 countries. Thailand has aimed to eliminate malaria in 2030. A key strategy to eliminate malaria is “to reduce malaria transmission” including transmission of the infection between the human host and the vector. Ivermectin, an old anthelmintic drug, is known to have a mosquito-cidal effect. Mosquitoes will die after biting people who have ingested ivermectin. Ivermectin is, therefore, a potential new tool for the control and eventual elimination of mosquito vectors. Ivermectin has been used in mass drug administrations for example for the control of lymphatic filariasis but there is currently no consensus on the usefulness and the most appropriate regimen for ivermectin in malaria control. The Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University recently conducted two phase1 clinical trials on ivermectin. This review describes the results of recent studies on pharmacokinetic properties and mosquito-cidal effects of ivermectin, conducted in the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University.
Keywords: malaria, ivermectin, malaria elimination,