World Health Organization - Recent estimates of the global burden of malaria have shown increasing levels of morbidity and mortality, particularly in Africa. Key among the factors contributing to the increase is the widespread resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to conventional antimalarial drugs. Over the past decade, a new group of antimalarial compounds which includes artesunate, artemether and dihydroartemisinin, have been deployed on an increasingly large scale.

Since 2002, WHO has recommended the use of artemisinin-based combined therapy (ACT) for the treatment of falciparum malaria. The world market is now growing very rapidly, and demand for artemisinin is strong. Artemisinin is extracted from the Artemisia annua L plant and in order to ensure quality and sustainable supplies, the plant must be cultivated following strict harmonized regulations. Currently, collection from the natural environment and cultivation of this particular medicinal plant have occurred mainly in China, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Viet Nam.

The World Health Organization has recently developed a model monograph on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for Artemisia annua L based on the WHO guidelines on GACP for medicinal plants.

Reference: The WHO model monograph for GACP for Artemisa annua L. and the consultation report are available on http://www.who.int/medicines