This scientific finding got a little bit of media attention, but
deserves more: A cheap drug, called Ivermectin (or brand name
Mectizan), that Merck originally made for dogs may become a
useful new weapon against one of the world’s biggest killers,
malaria. It was discovered many years ago that this drug also
works against other parasitic worms that cause river blindness
(onchocerciasis) and elephantiasis (filariasis). Merck,
apparently unaware that it is supposed to be an evil drug
company, has for more than 15 years been donating this drug to
poor countries in Africa to fight these debilitating diseases.
Malaria is also caused by a parasite. In a study funded by a
Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges Explorations grant,
researchers at Colorado State University explored if the drug
might also work against the malaria bug. The study is published
in this week’s American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
(which you can’t read because the scientific publishing
community thinks they can get you pay to read