imatinib + dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine

The drug is a **triple combination therapy** consisting of imatinib, dihydroartemisinin, and piperaquine. It is being developed for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, specifically targeting regions with emerging resistance to artemisinin derivatives and partner drugs. **Imatinib** is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor originally designed for cancer therapy; in this formulation, it blocks erythrocyte tyrosine kinases exploited by the Plasmodium parasite to escape infected red blood cells. **Dihydroartemisinin** is an artemisinin derivative that generates reactive oxygen species, damaging and killing the parasite. **Piperaquine** is a long-acting antimalarial that interferes with parasite detoxification processes. The combination seeks to accelerate parasite and fever clearance, reduce delayed clearance rates, and mitigate resistance by targeting both parasite and host pathways. Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials in Vietnam have shown enhanced efficacy, with nearly 100% clearance of parasites in three days and a reduction of fever time. Imatinib addition especially benefits patients with higher parasite densities and appears to have no added toxicities over standard dihydroartemisinin + piperaquine therapy[1][2][3][4].

Brand names

Gleevec

Other names

IMA+DHA+PPQ