The malaria business: Big pharma vs natural medicine

FRANCE 24 brings you an in-depth investigation into the debate between those for and against this natural anti-malaria remedy, which appears as a threat to large pharmaceutical laboratories.

A medicinal plant called Artemisia annua (or sweet wormwood) has been used in China to treat malaria for 2,000 years and is still grown by farmers in Africa. But it's not approved by the World Health Organization and remains banned in a number of countries, including France. Malaria claims almost half a million lives each year and Africa is worst affected. In recent years, the mosquitoes that spread the disease have become increasingly resistant to insecticide.