Ipca Laboratories today started marketing a fixed dose combination of oral Artemether and Lumefantrine tablets (Lumerax) used in treating P falciparum malaria. According to an official release issued by the company to the BSE today, this is the first ACT (Artemisinin-based combination therapy) drug marketed in India. In response to the appeal by WHO's Director Global Malaria Programme Kochi Arata the company is also stopping the manufacture of monotherapies consisting of single ingredient oral Artemisinin derivatives. Artemisinin and its derivatives help manage the rising incidence of P falciparum malaria and to preserve the efficacy of these life-saving medicines, WHO has requested organizations to stop manufacturing and marketing monotherapies consisting of single ingredient oral Artemisinin derivatives. WHO has instead suggested using Artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) which includes giving oral Artemisinin derivatives in combination with drugs such as Lumefantrine, Sulphadoxine, Pyrimethamine, Amodiaquine and Piperaquine, thereby prolonging the usefulness of these life saving drugs.
