Chem 335 - Winter 2000
Organic Chemistry II
Dr. Carl C. Wamser

Molecule of the Week #5

Artemether

I believe the molecule is artemether.

Artemether is a rapidly effective antimalarial drug derived from a Chinese plant.This plant has been used for many centuries in Chinese traditional medicine as a treatment for fever and malaria. Artemisinin is poorly soluble in water and decomposes in other protic solvents, probably by opening of the lactone ring. It is soluble in most aprotic solvents, is unaffected by them up to 150'C and is poorly soluble in oil. It shows a remarkable thermal stability.

Nicole A. Hannah

www.Artemether.com

Malaria is a disease known by people for thousands of years, and today it is one of the most harmful and widespread parasitic disease which is a serious infection of the blood by hemoglobin-digesting single-celled Plasmodia protozoa, transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes.

A new antimalarial has been launched to the market Artemether is a kind of new antimalarial drug with high efficiency,rapid action and lower toxicity.

According to the report published by WHO, about 2.5 billion people were living in malaria endemic area in 107 countries. The incidence of diseases was around 0.16 billion cases a year, and the number of deaths caused by malaria reached 2 million.

Owing to the rapid spreading of the resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, former antimalarial drugs such as quinolines and sulfa drug failed to be useful in many endemic areas.

Artemesia could be used as the antimalarial drug. It has more than 1600 years history and is still a traditional therapy in China. Based on the experiences of clinical treatment, the Chinese scientists developed a new antimalarial drug with new structure - Artemether. After 20 years' research, Artemether has been approved and
recommended to be used in endemic countries by WHO. During the 4th Session of the International Chemotherapeutics Conference held in Beijing on October 6-11,1981, Dr. Anand, Chairman, pointed out that the successful development of Artemisinin and its derivatives has the most important meanings of difference of structure and efficacy from current antimalarial drug and has provided a new way to develop an antimalarial
drug.

Dustin Nouri