The anti-malarial drug, Artequick, is a four-pill treatment, currently being marketed in 11 countries where the incident rate of malaria is high.
As per the terms of the joint venture, Artepharm Global is expected to acquire the global marketing rights and hold the global patents for Artequick, as well as retain all the revenues generated from continuing sales in exchange for 40m shares of the company.
The Artequick anti-malarial drug was developed as a highbred of Chinese natural medicine and modern western pharmaceutical technology. The active ingredient in Artequick is artemisinin, a plant that is indigenous to China and has been utilised as malaria treatment since the 1600’s.
While artemisinin has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, the Artequick delivery system was developed using the latest in modern western pharmaceutical technology. The integration of eastern and western medicine is a new approach to developing drugs and is expected to mark the beginning of a massive shift in the global pharmaceutical industry.