MMH 解決瘧疾新利器？青蒿茶臨床試驗啟動！

一項臨床試驗正著手評估將青蒿（Artemisia annua）製成的草本茶，用於治療無併發症瘧疾患者的效果。

根據世界衛生組織（WHO）的資料，每年有超過60萬人死於瘧疾，受害者主要是5歲以下的兒童和孕婦。儘管已實施了多項有效的控制措施，如使用蚊帳及青蒿素類藥物的合併療法，非洲多個地區的瘧疾發病率仍然異常地高。

我們特別訪問了圖賓根大學臨床寄生蟲學教授及新型抗瘧疾干預措施的專家 Stetten Borrmann 教授。Borrmann 教授正與包括 Lambaréné Gagon 醫學研究中心主任 Ayôla a. Adegnika 教授在內的合作夥伴聯盟合作。雙方計劃從 2024 年起，開展一項為期 6 個月的 2a 期臨床試驗，該試驗將以青蒿茶作為治療無併發症瘧疾的方法，並由百靈佳殷格翰提供支持。

Borrmann 教授對青蒿茶進行臨床試驗的原因

青蒿作為草本茶的使用，可追溯至 2000 多年前的中醫記載。更重要的是，基於青蒿素的藥物合併療法，已被世界衛生組織（WHO）推薦為治療瘧疾的黃金標準。青蒿茶由乾燥的青蒿葉沖泡而成，儘管目前尚未得到 WHO 的明確認證，卻在多地廣泛使用。WHO 尚未明確認證的原因，是因隨機對照臨床試驗中獲得的數據仍然有限。

然而，現有的青蒿素類藥物合併療法已證實能治癒近 100% 的瘧疾患者，但不是所有患有瘧疾的兒童或孕婦都能獲得這些藥物。因此，任何替代治療方案都有可能在預防瘧疾死亡方面發揮關鍵作用。由於青蒿在撒哈拉以南非洲的社區中廣泛種植，這使得青蒿茶成為一個具有潛力的選擇。根據國際標準進行的首個臨床試驗，計劃於 2024 年初啟動。

Borrmann 教授表示：「從長遠來看，如果我們能在受控環境下確認青蒿茶的療效，這或將為其獲得 WHO 的正式認證鋪路，從而合法化使用這種植物，作為其他瘧疾防控措施的輔助選擇。」

能產生什麼更多的正面影響？

瘧疾通常被稱為「貧困病」，因為貧困線下的人們往往缺乏足夠的資金來對抗這種疾病。而瘧疾同時加劇了貧困，因為它阻礙了經濟增長和受教育的機會。打破這一惡性循環，不僅能改善健康，還能為許多受影響的社區開創更光明的未來。

採訪編輯： Edda Dankmeyer 與 Hilke Roßkamp

瘧疾：事實與數據

瘧疾是一種由蚊子傳播，危及生命的疾病。常見症狀包括發燒、頭痛和畏寒，而嚴重症狀可能包括癲癇及呼吸困難。

• 2021 年，全球出現了 2.47 億例瘧疾病例。
• 全球近一半人口面臨瘧疾威脅。
• 全球 95% 的瘧疾病例及 96% 的瘧疾死亡病例發生在非洲。
• 在非洲的瘧疾死亡病例中，有 80% 的受害者是 5 歲以下的兒童。

A TEA FILLED WITH HOPE

A clinical trial aims to assess how effective using the plant Artemisia annua as an herbal tea could be in treating uncomplicated malaria cases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria causes over 600,000 deaths per year, mainly among children under the age of five and pregnant women. Many regions of Africa have disproportionately high rates of malaria, despite proven and highly efficient control measures to prevent infections and cure the disease, such as insecticide treated bednets and artemisinin-based combination chemotherapy.

We met with Steffen Borrmann, Professor for Clinical Parasitology at the University of Tübingen and expert on the development of new anti-malarial interventions. Prof. Borrmann, in collaboration with a consortium of partners, foremost Prof. Ayôla A. Adegnika, director at the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné in Gabon, is currently working on implementing a Phase 2a clinical six-month trial starting in 2024 on Artemisia annua tea as a treatment for uncomplicated malaria cases – a trial financially supported by Boehringer Ingelheim.

Professor Borrmann, why a clinical trial on Artemisia tea?

The use of Artemisia annua as an herbal tea was already documented in Chinese medicine over 2,000 years ago. More importantly, it is the basis of the current WHO recommended gold standard of malaria treatment: the artemisinin-based combination chemotherapies. “Artemisia tea”, which is prepared by adding boiling water to dried Artemisia annua leaves, is still being used despite the lack of a clear endorsement by the WHO. The hesitation of the WHO is due to the gap in available data derived from randomized controlled clinical trials. In fact, current artemisinin-based combination chemotherapies (ACTs) indicate that they can cure close to 100% of malaria patients. However, they are not available to every child or pregnant women with malaria. Therefore, any alternative treatment could play an important role in preventing death. Artemisia annua could be such an option, as it can be cultivated at the community level in Sub-Saharan Africa. A first clinical trial according to an international standard is planned to start at the beginning of next year.

“If, in the long run, we can show the efficacy of the Artemisinin tea in a controlled environment, we can hopefully contribute to the creation of an official WHO recommendation, giving legitimacy for using this plant as an additional option to other malaria control measures,” shares Prof. Borrmann.

What other positive impact could this create?

Malaria is often labeled a “disease of poverty”, as people living at the poverty line only have limited funds available to tackle the disease. At the same time, malaria aggravates poverty, because it hampers economic growth or access to school education. Breaking this transmission cycle is not just a way to improve health; it can also help pave the way for a brighter future for many affected communities.

This interview was conducted by Edda Dankmeyer & Hilke Roßkamp

MALARIA:FACTS & FIGURES

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquitoborne disease. Common symptoms are fever, headache, and chills. Severe symptoms can include seizures and breathing difficulties.

247 MILLION

cases worldwide in 2021, with nearly half of the world’s population at risk.

95 PERCENT

of global cases and 96% of all malariarelated deaths are in Africa.

80 PERCENT

of all fatal cases in Africa were children under the age of 5.