Researchers have observed effects of the common anti-malarial drug Artesunate on rats that suggest it may be an effective tool in treating hospital patients suffering from major trauma, according to results published in the Annals of Surgery.
"We've now discovered that the drug Artesunate, which has already been used by thousands of people with malaria, is also effective for treating severe hemorrhage and blood loss in rats," Chris Thiemermann, lead investigator on the paper and researcher with the Queen Mary University of London's Centre for Trauma Sciences, said in a statement. "Not only is the drug extremely safe, having already been tested in over 180 clinical trials, but it is also cheap."
One in three severely injured patients experience multiple organ failure, and one in four of those die, according to Mr. Thiemermann. When researchers administered Artesunate to injured rats, they found the drug had a significant affect in reducing organ failure by reducing the body's excessive inflammatory response to injury and blood loss.
The researchers suggest the drug could be given to patients suffering major blood loss and organ trauma in an ambulance or helicopter to help mitigate the risk of organ failure and death and are planning trials to test Artesunate on people.