Finding
new chemotherapeutic interventions to treat malaria through
repurposing of time-tested drugs and rigorous design of new drugs
using tools of rational drug design remains one of the most sought
strategies at the disposal of medicinal chemists. Ivermectin, a semisynthetic
derivative of avermectin B1, is among the efficacious drugs
used in mass drug administration drives employed against onchocerciasis,
lymphatic filariasis, and several other parasitic diseases in humans.
In this review, we present the prowess of ivermectin, a potent endectocide,
in the control of malaria through vector control to reduce parasite
transmission combined with efficacious chemoprevention to reduce malaria-related
fatalities.