Recent patent reviews on small molecule-based antimalarial drugs.

Malaria is the number one disease in the world responsible for 1-3 million deaths each year. The world wide number of malaria patients is estimated at 400 to 900 million. Approximately one third of the world's population lives in malaria-endemic areas, including Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae are malaria parasites responsible for infecting humans. Mosquitoes that carry malaria parasites have become resistant to insecticides, and the deadliest parasites have become resistant to previously effective antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine, quinine and other clinically used agents. Because of the widespread incidence of malaria in certain parts of the world and because of the increasing parasite resistance to standard anti-malarial agents, there is an urgent need for introducing new effective drugs. This review presents the recent patents that reveal development of novel antimalarial drugs.