NOBEL 2015. This year’s medicine prize goes to William C. Campbell, Satoshi Omura and Youyou Tu for discoveries that led to the development of drugs against malaria and other major parasitic diseases.
William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura are rewarded for the discovery of the drug avermectin, which is effective against onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis and a number of other parasitic diseases. The other half of the prize goes to Youyou Tu, who discovered the malaria drug artemisinin.
Diseases caused by parasites have been a scourge of mankind since ancient times and is a global health problem. Parasitic diseases are particularly affecting the poorest part of humanity and is an obstacle to improving people’s health and wellbeing. This year’s Nobel Laureates have developed new therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most widespread and devastating parasitic diseases.
William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura discovered a new drug, Avermectin, which in a further developed form radically has reduced the prevalence of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, and proven to be effective against a range of other parasitic diseases. Youyou Tu discovered Artemisinin, a drug that significantly has reduced the mortality of patients suffering from malaria.
These two discoveries have provided humanity with new ways to combat these severe diseases that annually affects hundreds of millions of people. The gains from this in the form of reduced suffering and improved global health is almost immeasurably large.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 is awarded with one half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura for their discoveries concerning a new therapy against infections caused by parasitic worms and the other half to _ Youyou Tu for her discoveries concerning a new therapy against malaria.
