Tropical climates and seasonal rains make much of the Asia-Near
East (ANE) region ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying
Plasmodium—the bloodborne parasite that causes malaria. South-
East Asia alone accounts for 30 percent of the global morbidity
due to malaria. In addition, the lack of access to and
irrational use of medicines and counterfeit and substandard
medicines contribute to emergence of antimicrobial resistance
(AMR)—a growing concern to international health management
partners as drug-resistant strains of the disease spread.
Improving access to and rational use of quality antimalarial
medicines is essential for regional malaria and AMR control
efforts. The United States Pharmacopeia Drug Quality and
Information program (USP/DQI), in cooperation with the U. S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), World Health
Organization (WHO), and other regional and local authorities,
began monitoring the quality of antimalarials in Cambodia, Laos,
Thailand, Vietnam, and China’s Yunnan Province. Th