The Lancet
Nov 27, 2010  Volume 376  Number 9755  Pages 1799 – 1872
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Viewpoint
Universal access to malaria medicines: innovation in financing and delivery
Olusoji Adeyi, Rifat Atun

Preview
In recent years, several constraints have impeded access to effective treatments for malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum. First, the parasite has become increasingly resistant to established cheap drugs, such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Second, development assistance has been routed largely through public channels, whereas affected individuals seek treatment mostly through the private sector. Finally, new artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs), recommended by WHO for uncomplicated falciparum malaria,1 are too expensive for many people who seek treatment in the private sector.