Falciparum malaria: the urgent need for safe and effective drugs.

The spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum poses an increasing threat to the effective treatment and prophylaxis of malaria. Recent advances in determining the drug sensitivity of malaria parasites should promote the more rational use of standard or alternative antimalarials in areas with emerging or well-established drug resistance. The use of currently available alternative drugs is usually associated with more problems than that of the standard, synthetic antimalarials. Safe and effective drugs, capable of being administered as a single-dose or short-course treatment, are urgently needed to control the adaptable malaria parasite.