GSK scraps malaria drug on anemia concerns

GlaxoSmithKline is halting work on Dacart after a Phase III trial showed the malaria drug causes anemia in some patients. The trial, which GSK was conducting with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), showed that Dacart caused anemia in subjects with G6PD deficiency. G6PD deficiency is a hereditary enzyme disorder which is estimated to affect 10 to 25 percent of sub-Saharan Africans. GSK observed similar problems with Lapdap, another malaria drug, and has started the recall process at the pharmacy level in Kenya.

- here's GSK's release [1]

ALSO: GSK is cutting about 70 jobs at its plant in Zebulon, NC. Report [2]

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